Leafs’ young guns must step up for the playoffs
Hands up, those who last autumn marked a Toronto Maple Leafs-columbus Blue Jackets playoff matchup on the calendar to start the August long weekend.
But since we’ve made it this far, and it’s a best-of-five starting Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, we offer up the quintessential quintuplets on this series:
1.
IT GETS LATE EARLY
While today’s hockey fans are conditioned to everything settled by best-of-sevens, a shorter series is quite familiar to younger members of the Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets.
Many came through the American Hockey League, where the opening round is condensed. In fact, Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe’s Marlies were quite good at it through the years, including the 2018 Calder Cup. The Jackets retain a few grads of the 2016 champion Lake Erie (now Cleveland) Monsters. So everyone knows a slow start is not an option.
While not having played a best-of-five series since sweeping Chicago in 1986 — the last year the NHL used it in the first round — the Toronto franchise won Stanley Cups in such a format in its first three tries — the 1918 Arenas/blueshirts, 1922 St. Patricks
and 1932 Leafs. Toronto’s post-season record is 7-8 all-time in a best-of-five.
2.
GRANDPA SAW THE LEAFS WIN Perhaps you’ve heard of the longest Cup drought in the NHL? In fact, the Leafs could tie the New York Rangers’ excruciating 54-year wait — which they ended with a 1994 Cup win — by 2021. Remember that ‘Now I Can Die In Peace’ sign at Madison Square Garden?
But this year ain’t over ’til it’s over. Though the St. Louis Blues became the 19th team to win the Cup since Toronto’s last parade — and the 14th to start from scratch and go the distance — these Leafs are young, healthy and built for today’s NHL, at least offensively.
They wouldn’t be the first to get on a magical playoff roll, though it also requires good defence, goaltending and a couple of overtime bounces. And there are 24 teams in the starting gate this time.
3.
FROM BOYS TO MEN
They’re among the highest paid in the NHL, they’re fashion plates, video gaming stars, social media darlings and eager fans from coast-to-coast wear their numbers.
But Leafs stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly have yet to win a first-round series. Since hard-ass Mike Babcock was let go as coach in part to let this group spread its wings, another early exit with the core unable to score will have repercussions — especially with a flat salary cap.
Matthews was a better allaround player against Boston last spring than in 2018, but Nylander has to improve on his three goals in 20 post-season games.
While much also depends on what older players such as John Tavares, Jason Spezza and Jake Muzzin bring to the series, it’s time for this key part of the Shanaplan to pay off.
4.
DISCOVERING COLUMBUS
As Keefe said the other day, watching the Jackets sweep top-seeded Tampa Bay last year and take Cup finalist Boston to six games is a wake-up call for anyone who figures the Leafs will dance through one of the league’s prickly defences.
This is huge for coach John Tortorella and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen as well, having nicely rearmed on the fly from losing big name free agents, yet answering to a fan base that’s had one series win to celebrate in 20 years.
As with goalie Frederik Andersen trying to prove himself at playoff time in Toronto, there is much scrutiny on the Columbus cage. Joonas Korpisalo and Latvian Elvis Merzlikins are the heirs to Sergei Bobrovsky, and the Finn looks like he’s in come Game 1.
5.
CANNONADING CONNECTIONS The Jackets were named in homage to Ohio putting more soldiers into the Union Army in the Civil War than any U.S. state (Columbus was also where many of the blue coat uniforms were made). Civil War buff Ken Hitchcock popularized their ear-splitting goal cannon at Nationwide Arena when he was coach. But a few Jackets have Toronto ties.
Keefe played 125 games under Torts in the early 2000s with Tampa Bay and there are five Ontario-born Jackets on the current roster, including Scarborough’s Liam Foudy. Columbus captain Nick Foligno was kindergarten age when his father Mike moved to the Leafs from the Buffalo Sabres in the early 1990s and defenceman Seth Jones’ father, Popeye, was an early Toronto Raptor.
The Leafs and Jackets helped each other in a cap crunch a few years ago in the David Clarkson — Nathan Horton trade. Goalie David Brumby, a former Leafs pick, played with the ECHL’S Columbus Chill, a team renowned for its edgy game promotions such as Tonya Harding Night.