Leafs lose again to the Lightning, here's exactly how far they need to drop to keep their 1st
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Make it a lucky, well rather unlucky seven losses in a row for the Maple Leafs after falling to Tampa Bay, but how fall do they need to go to keep their pick, and is there a chance for them to even be competitive?
Yeah, things aren't pretty right now in Toronto. After a pretty lacklustre trade deadline, they headed back home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning and suffice to say; it was yet another rough outing.
Quick Recap: Tampa Bay vs. Toronto
The Maple Leafs had no answer for Nikita Kucherov and the Lightning, as they fell 5-2 to make it seven in a row. Kucherov continued his dominance of Toronto with four assists, meanwhile Corey Perry added a goal in his re-debut with Tampa after coming over on Friday.
Toronto was outshot 33-29, were 0-for-3 on the power-play, and were even out-hit by a 26-22 margin. They did get goals from Nick Robertson and Matias Maccelli but it was another lifeless defensive effort that cost them the game.
The Maple Leafs fell to 27-26-11 and don't have it easy coming up, as they have Montreal, Anaheim, Buffalo, and Minnesota ahead of them. This could reach Peter Horachek-levels of losing, and no fan wants to relive that nightmare.
Where the Leafs stand in the draft lottery race
As much as a loss sucks for the players no doubt, it does push Toronto one step closer to getting their first-round pick this year and leaving Boston with just a little bit less than they had.
As of the game being played, Toronto is 24th in the league, well out of a top-five selection and have a long way to go if they want to be near the bottom.
They had a good start by getting crushed by the Rangers in New York, but need to hope that Calgary, Vancouver, St. Louis, Chicago, and especially Los Angeles don't all start free-falling as well.
Right now, the bottom five would pick in this order 1-5, if the odds were 100% in their favour:
1. Vancouver Canucks
2. Calgary Flames
3. New York Rangers
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. St. Louis Blues
2. Calgary Flames
3. New York Rangers
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. St. Louis Blues
That's a tough group to try and be worse than, and with Auston Matthews' comments about staying competitive -- it could be a disaster at the end of things.
What needs to happen for Toronto to keep their first
For Toronto to keep their first, they need to do a couple of things. First, play as many rookies as possible and take out the pieces you don't need.
Bye-bye Calle Jarnkrok, the press box is comfortable and has free snacks. Simon Benoit, Philippe Myers, and Troy Stecher? Thank you for your service but it's time for William Villeneuve, Marshall Rifai, and Henry Thrun to take over.
Then, stop thinking you're competitive. You're not. Fire the head coach, let Derek Lalonde run the show for the next little bit and then go all out on a Peter DeBoer this summer. Lose these games with pride; know that this season is a wash and what you're doing is for the bigger picture.
They're still getting paid the millions of dollars in salary, and it's best to do what you can to help the team going forward and that means losing while hoping to win the draft lottery and bring in someone like Gavin McKenna.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 7|812 ANSWERS Leafs lose again to the Lightning, here's exactly how far they need to drop to keep their 1st Will Toronto lose the rest of their games this season? | ||
| Yes | 369 | 45.4 % |
| No | 443 | 54.6 % |
| List of polls | ||