The number one reason why the Leafs need to make a move is an obvious one
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a team that many consider a frustrating club to be a fan of. It's not all because of the lengthy history of underdelivering, but also because of some of the frustrating scenarios that arise during the course of any given game - most notably the fact that they can't seem to hold a lead.
The Leafs are 10-6-3 at the moment, currently sitting in the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference, but as we know, there's still a lot of time between now and the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so what we're seeing now in the standings won't be what we're seeing in March and April as the playoff race wears on.
A huge part of the reason why the Leafs are not currently a lot higher in the standings is that they're seemingly entirely unable to hold a lead. The last time they won without trailing at all? October 26th against the Dallas Stars - a game in which the Leafs won by a score of 4-1.
The Buds are not really having an issue scoring goals. Through 19 games, they've managed 67 goals as a team, which puts them over 3.5 goals per game. The problem is that they're allowing almost just as many. The Buds have allowed 66 goals this season, currently sitting at a +1 goal differential. Kind of hard to win games when you're giving up just as much as you're getting in the goals department.
The problem for the Leafs isn't just the goaltending, which has been subpar. It's also the defensive pairings fumbling the puck and not getting the clean exits they need. They're also not doing a great job of boxing guys out and giving their netminders clean looks.
Yes, it's still early, but if the Leafs don't make a move soon, we could be looking back at the midway point in the season and wondering why they didn't make a move sooner. While there's time to iron out the kinks, 19 games isn't exactly a small sample size. We know there's a problem and fixing it sooner than later will put the team in a better position to win, which is what everyone wants.
I don't know if the move is for a guy like Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev or someone else entirely. I just know that what the Leafs have now simply isn't working for them.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 26 | 331 ANSWERS The number one reason why the Leafs need to make a move is an obvious one Will the Leafs make a trade for a defenseman in the next 30 days? | ||
| Yes | 264 | 79.8 % |
| No | 67 | 20.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
