Quoting: TrueCanuck
I think many people don't see the real issue with the Leafs and that's the players commitment to defence. Adding a defenceman isn't going to change that - it's a core issue and there's no accountability on the stars when they don't play in their own end well. It's what's going to sink them. You don't consistently blow 3 goal leads and still think you're a good defensive club. Most nights they're bailed out by Campbell, and honestly it seems like some nights even he's not there (I understand the Leafs make it hard on him but at the end of the day it's his job to stop the puck, that's it). It's not a championship caliber team and it's not a team built for the playoffs. If it was, they woulda walked all over a very weak Montreal team last season and they couldn't get the job done then either. Fans are just going to be let down again after this year. Then Marner is likely gone and maybe it'll be wake up call to the team
you're looking at the last 3ish games in isolation, complete recency bias. They've blown a few leads in the last 3-4 games, held onto most games but that's no excuse. The team committment to defence has been there all season.
Gotta credit MTL a little more there they beat Vegas and went on a crazy run. Leafs also had Tavares hurt, had Foligno take his spot as 2C and then he got hurt. Muzzin was our best defenceman last season and in that series he also got hurt. So you lose a point per game center, your replacement center, and your top defenceman, all while getting absolutely brick walled by Price. But yes, while they were smothering Matthews, Hyman and Marner should have been able to capitalize on some of the more open shots that they were given as they double or triple teamed Matthews.
Matthews is a selke candidate, Nylander has among the best turnover to takeaway ratios (is among the league leaders in takeways, Marner is an elite penalty killer, and Tavares is Tavares - just very consistent and reliable. Sure they haven't been defensive all along the way but they're 24, not many players break into the league and are immediate defensive forces.
Look, all I'm saying is if the narritive on the Leafs is they can't win because they haven't, that logic should also be applied to say that Florida can't win a round, and for that matter even say that the Avs won't make it out of the 2nd round (seemingly the cup favourite every year but don't make it past the 2nd, but we never talk about that). Now to be clear, I don't believe that the past prohibits any of these three teams. Think they could all go on runs.