What if the Leafs were in the West? Toronto's 71 points would be a playoff threat everywhere but here
Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs have 71 points and sit last in the Atlantic Division. In the Pacific right now, that would put them fifth and only four points out of a playoff spot. Wrong place, wrong time has never been more appropriate to describe things.
Looking at the standings right now, it's safe to say the Maple Leafs are not in a great spot. Sitting tied for last in their division with 71 points, down several key players and looking like a team more than out of their element - this season is a definitive wash.
Toronto buried in the East despite looking like contenders out West
However, if you were to look across the pond to the Pacific Division, it's a dogfight for a playoff spot as Anaheim, Edmonton, and Vegas are all vying for the top three spots. But right behind them are LA, Seattle, and San Jose and things could get tight until the bitter end.
You know it's bad when Connor McDavid calls the standings race a 'pillow fight' more than the aforementioned dogfight:
We are lucky to be in the division this year. All the teams are. It is a pillow fight right now.
There was a time when the Maple Leafs were a part of the Western Conference, and right now they wish they were. At 71 points that would put Toronto in fifth in the Pacific and only six points out of a spot, and with how they have been able to best some of the top teams recently - they'd be in the mix.
Maybe Craig Berube and company would be less upset about things if they were elsewhere, and it's just a matter of wrong place, wrong time.
Shifting gears the other way, the Atlantic seems like the most dangerous division in hockey. Sure, the Central has Dallas, Colorado and Minnesota, but in terms of playoff races - it's night and day.
Eastern Conference domination could be Toronto's light at the end of the tunnel
You're looking at a minimum of 98 points to even think about getting into the playoffs if you're in the East, with eight points separating sixth from second. To put it into perspective, the Ottawa Senators would be fourth in the entire Conference if they were in the west.
It's actually not that big of a gap between lottery team and contender now, especially in the Pacific Division. Toronto would be right in the thick of things if they were lucky enough to be in a different spot but them's the breaks.
Well, they didn't necessarily help themselves either with multiple 5+ game losing streaks, so while it's a product of their environment, it's certainly not the only factor that caused things to dip so low.
But they also can stand to lose a lot more games down the line and playing against some heavy hitters like Boston, New York Islanders, and Ottawa.
That's great news for their draft picks chances. If this was different and they faced Calgary, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Chicago...they could easily win and make life even harder going forward.
So maybe them being shoved down in one of the toughest Conference races we've seen in years isn't the worst thing. As long as they keep getting dominated, there's a strong chance they get that piece that lets them dominate right back.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 24|1268 ANSWERS What if the Leafs were in the West? Toronto's 71 points would be a playoff threat everywhere but here Do you think the Maple Leafs would be a threat against the Pacific Division? | ||
| Yes | 648 | 51.1 % |
| No | 620 | 48.9 % |
| List of polls | ||