The Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase is busy reenacting the plot to that Captain America movie where he fight his best friend Iron Man, but none of it matters.
Should the Toronto Maple Leafs keep Mitch Marner or trade him?
Should they hire a new coach and GM or stick with the same guys who thought 45 x 7th defensemen were the answer to the question “how do we improve this roster?”
None of it matters, because the Leafs have a need for only 2 things and it doesn’t matter who is in charge or what members of the current team stick around – it only matters if the Leafs finally get a #1 defenseman and a goalie.
All that Matters for the Toronto Maple Leafs is #1 Defenseman and Elite Goalie
The Leafs have had Auston Matthews for eight years.
In those eight years, they’ve had Auston Matthews(as well as various backups). None of those guys are what you’d consider an elite goalie.
Building a team isn’t rocket science – you’re not going anywhere without a goalie. Now, in the NHL there are only a few goalies who are capable of making a difference, so getting one is the next best thing to impossible.
But it must be done. No matter the cost, the Leafs must identify the five best goalies in the NHL and then go crazy trying to get one. Ilya Sorokin and Juuse Saros are their best options, as I highly doubt anyone has a chance to steal Shesterkin, Vasilevskiy, Hellebuyck, or Oettinger.
With that accomplished the Leafs must acquire an elite defenseman.
Morgan Rielly is a solid #2 but he’s only ever had one, maximum two, seasons where he was a top ten defenseman in the world. That is what the Leafs need.
It doesn’t matter who your forwards are or who your coach is. If you don’t have a solid #1 defenseman who can eat minutes and drive the play, you will have an infinitely harder time winning.
These players are difference makers and the reason the Leafs don’t have one is that if you don’t draft one, you pay through the nose to get one. You will notice that all six of the goalies I listed in this article are on their original teams.
Maybe Joseph Woll becomes that, but unfortunately the timing isn’t right to find out. The Leafs are in win-now mode and besides, Woll is too much of an injury question mark.
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