The case for bringing Tom Wilson to Toronto
To say that Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson could be characterized as an unchallenged villain in the NHL is a bit of an understatement, given his rap sheet. He's big, he's mean, he often does bad things for the good of his team, and sometimes he does bad things for the sake of doing bad things.
Wilson isn't just a goon, however. He is also really good at hockey, and he is legitimately one of the best forwards in his draft class (Nail Yakupov went 1st overall in 2012, folks.. It's not like he had much competition at the top of the draft). So hear me out here; free your mind the rest will follow. Tom Wilson should be a Toronto Maple Leaf.
Ok I can already see the pitchforks and torches out there. I get it. He's undisciplined. Certainly worse than Nazem Kadri was during his time in Toronto. I can already hear the detractors: "Steve, Wilson isn't an elite talent!" Nonsense. Put him on Auston Matthews' wing and watch the points pile up.
"But Steve.. We don't need those dirty tactics here!" Yes we do. Every damn year the Leafs lose players in key moments to injuries. We need to tilt the balance of the scale here. He is a caveman! A throwback to the dark ages. But old problems require old solutions. Oh, and for the ladies out there in Leafs land, he is also an absolute rocket of a man.
Before I continue I'm not going to make up some fake trade scenario or anything like that. I am not resorting to busting out the NHL 22 trade simulators yet... (If they cancel Saturday's game, I will install it on both of my consoles).
Quickly and to the point, we need more guys like Tom Wilson and less guys like Ilya Mikheyev. No that's not a shot at Mikheyev. It's more of a testament to how much of a gladiator Tom Wilson is. Wilson is an absolute unit - and the man is from Toronto, to boot! We know he grew up a Leafs fan. We need to re-live that Tavares/Spezza feel again. Bring Tom Wilson home!
Finally the reason why I wrote this, and why you are here. Recently, this fanbase was voted the worst fanbase. Since we are the worst, most obnoxious, dirtiest fan base in Hockey, it sounds like a match made in hockey heaven to me.
Now, if I haven't dispelled a large chunk of the concerns, feel free to raise more in the comments, by all means.
