Vezina Trophy candidate rants and raves about how dangerous the Maple Leafs really are
With all of the early playoff exits in Toronto, I think it's easier than not to fall into the belief that they're just not a consistently good enough team, despite how exceptional they can play through the 82-game regular season. Not that that's the truth of the matter or anything, it's just that when you're constantly coming up short in the playoffs, it's tough to really buy that the Leafs are a top NHL team and a legitimate contender.
Well, as much doubt as there has been in Toronto, there wasn't nearly the same amount of doubt in Boston this year, with how well they played during the season. Even after they were beaten by the Panthers in Round 1, Boston seemed to get the benefit of the doubt, given how well they've played for a lot of years.
One member of this year's Bruins team was a guest on Leafs Morning Take on Monday, and he decided to share his perspective on the Leafs, particularly on their power play, and how tough they really are to play against. Bruins netminder Linus Ullmark had nothing but great things to say about the Leafs and how dangerous they are on any given night.
"I think that Toronto and Tampa are pretty similar when it comes to how they're playing it, because there's so many dangerous options. When you look at Florida, for example, it wasn't like they had 5 guys who were all a threat, but they were all so very good at utilizing each others' strengths. But when you look at Toronto, or Tampa for that matter, you have Matthews, Kucherov, Hedman, Rielly, Nylander and the list goes on and on...
They're so skilled, so deceptive, so when you're assuming things, that's when it gets dangerous. Because you're thinking that Matthews is going to shoot and he makes the pass and you're thinking Nylander is going to make the pass and all of a sudden he rips it. That's what makes it so much harder... you can't really read off of 'em as easily as it is against other power plays.
As hard as it is to save an Alex Ovechkin one-timer, it's easy to read that the play is going there, but the hard part is actually to save the shot. With Toronto, once they start getting the puck moving up and down, front to middle, with Tavares up front, it's tough. It's quick, it's crisp and there's a lot of one-timers that makes it hard to read the release." - Ullmark on the Leafs
They're so skilled, so deceptive, so when you're assuming things, that's when it gets dangerous. Because you're thinking that Matthews is going to shoot and he makes the pass and you're thinking Nylander is going to make the pass and all of a sudden he rips it. That's what makes it so much harder... you can't really read off of 'em as easily as it is against other power plays.
As hard as it is to save an Alex Ovechkin one-timer, it's easy to read that the play is going there, but the hard part is actually to save the shot. With Toronto, once they start getting the puck moving up and down, front to middle, with Tavares up front, it's tough. It's quick, it's crisp and there's a lot of one-timers that makes it hard to read the release." - Ullmark on the Leafs
I mean, when a Vezina Trophy candidate is singing your praises and acknowledging your ability to really make him work for it out there, it has to resonate with the fanbase at least a little bit. No, the season didn't end the way we all wanted it to, but the Leafs undoubtedly had the respect of most teams in the league on any given night - including a heated division rival.
As new Leafs GM Brad Treliving said in his introductory presser a few short weeks ago, it's just about staying right there and continuing to knock at the door. Eventually, this team will get through and go on a run - especially if they can continue to keep goalies guessing, as Ullmark had alluded to.
| POLL | ||
JUIN 20 | 538 ANSWERS Vezina Trophy candidate rants and raves about how dangerous the Maple Leafs really are Are the Leafs a legitimate Stanley Cup contender? | ||
| Absolutely | 288 | 53.5 % |
| Absolutely not | 250 | 46.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
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