The Toronto Maple Leafs build up expectations year after year, and with the biggest fan base in the league, their Stanley Cup Playoffs disappointments get bigger and bigger. These past years may have been the worst, with the team failing to win a round after being eliminated in a Game 7 heartbreaker against the Boston Bruins, and it has spurred change, with Craig Berube in as the new Head Coach.
However, former Maple Leaf Carlo Colaiacovo has identified where this team has gone and continues to go wrong, revealing that their player development, specifically on the blue line has let them down more than anything.
It's hard to argue with him here, as the team's biggest weakness has been their lack of puck moving defenseman, with the pick of Ben Danford in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft clearly an indicator that Brad Treliving wants to move on from Kyle Dubas' mistakes. With such talent up front, it becomes especially disappointing that the blue line just hasn't developed, with Colaiacovo detailing just how frustrating their approach has been.
With the additions of Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the team is set up well with good depth on the blue line this year, but unless they develop a young defenseman, this problem will continue to pop up, especially with all of the money they have invested in their incredibly talented forward group.
Source: Hockey Feed Ex-Leaf reveals biggest problem with current Maple Leafs
POLL | ||
10 AOUT | 159 ANSWERS Former Maple Leaf details the biggest issue the current Toronto team face Will the Maple Leafs win a round in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year? | ||
Yes | 78 | 49.1 % |
No | 81 | 50.9 % |
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