Ray Ferraro Discusses What The Maple Leafs Need To Fix Urgently
The Maple Leafs are getting ready for another season with high hopes. They want nothing more than to be at the top of the Atlantic Division and have a long playoff run.
An important figure in hockey made a significant statement on a pressing issue in Toronto.
Ferraro Reveals What the Leafs Need to Fix
During an interview on TSN, Ray Ferraro started by discussing what Auston Matthews will need to do if he wants to win it all, then he addressed the major issue in Toronto:
"I think the thing with Matthews is, he's one of the three or four players that's thrown his name in the hat. If they go all out throughout the season like Matthews did once and Connor McDavid doesn't outperform everyone and get 150 points, there's a chance you can win a Rocket Richard, you can win a Hart Trophy, and there's only a few guys that can do it. There's Cale Makar, there's Nathan MacKinnon, there's Draisaitl. There aren't many guys that can do it.
The best years of a player's career, we know it, are in his upper 20s. And Toronto has him for those years, but it can only matter so much.
Whether Auston Matthews signed for eight years or four years for 10 million or 13 million, they're not winning the Stanley Cup with the defense as it's currently constructed. So, we can all focus on those guys, right? We'll focus on them because they're the headlining players. But that defense has to be addressed. And until it is, the team's going to be one of the best in the regular season. And we'll see what they are come playoff time. Why can't Toronto get 110 points this year? They can, for sure. Absolutely." The Blue Line
All the buzz around Matthews will be for nothing if he doesn't shine on the ice. Both the Hart and the Rocket Richard trophies are within his grasp, and he knows what he has to do to clinch them.
But as Ferraro mentioned, it'll all be in vain if Brad Treliving doesn't address his blue line.
The defensive unit simply isn't up to par right now. They'll never reach the Finals with the current lineup, and they aren't a match for other top teams.
They might achieve an outstanding record once again this year, but the playoffs are a different beast.
Should Treliving make a blockbuster trade to secure a top defenseman before the playoffs?
You can listen to the full interview here:
POLL |
SEPTEMBRE 10 | 1170 ANSWERS Ray Ferraro Discusses What The Maple Leafs Need To Fix Urgently Should Treliving make a blockbuster trade to secure a top defenseman before the playoffs? |
Yes | 1034 | 88.4 % |
No | 136 | 11.6 % |
List of polls |
|
1 hour ago | By Austin Kelly Insider Pierre Lebrun Unveils Key Update on John Tavares' Injury Return Timeline |
|
2 hours ago | By Austin Kelly Insider Nick Kypreos Shares Exclusive Take on Brad Treliving's Top Trade Deadline Target |
|
3 hours ago | By Austin Kelly Polarizing Offensive Defenseman Emerges as an Option for Brad Treliving and the Leafs |
|
6 hours ago | By Austin Kelly Pure Goal-Scorer Emerges as Trade Option for Maple Leafs As Scoring Issues Persist |
|
7 hours ago | By Austin Kelly Craig Berube Makes A Surprising Scratch Following The John Tavares Injury News |
|
8 hours ago | By Chris Gerics Maple Leafs Lose Potential Trade Partner Following New Report From Frank Seravalli |
|
9 hours ago | By Austin Kelly Toronto Maple Leafs Make Emergency Roster Move to Replace John Tavares |
|
10 hours ago | By Chris Gerics Sheldon Keefe Reflects Back On His Failures With The Maple Leafs |
Previously on HockeyPatrol