Conclusion of the 2017 season

In this blog, I want to conclude the year of Toronto and the second year of the rebuilding process that Toronto started last year.

Toronto is in a 5-year rebuilding process that started last year and you can start to see the fruits of it, They are having an amazing year despite that most of the team is rookies. I think that the management and Babcock are doing an amazing job of building the team on the young core of talented young players, adding during the year some veteran players with a lot of experience that will teach them. I also love about all the trades that they did during the season, of signing Boyle and Fehr who are great veteran players with a lot of playoffs and NHL experience which will help the team, They also didn't tempt to do a big trade in order only to get into the playoffs, even though Toronto is in excellent position to reach the playoffs despite their young and inexperienced team. In the end, it paid off because Toronto made the playoff and kept their young core of talented and promising rookies. They will gain valuable experience that will help build them towards the future and will help Toronto in the long run.

All the trades that they did is for the benefit of the team for the long run. They didn't give any of our young and talented players in the trades. I admire and love to see this in the management that they are thinking on the long run, they are always  talking about it and it's great to see that they are also doing it

I love the new acquisitions that the Maple leafs did of Boyle and Fehr. They both have a lot of playoffs and NHL experience. Besides their game that will help a lot to the team especially in the defense which is the weakest part of the team. I think the experience that they bring is the most important to the development of the young stars whom they can teach and guide. In my opinion, Toronto should re-sign them in the offseason to a multiple season contract. This will help the development of the team and they can share their experience and help this amazing young core of talented players to maximize their potential, which will help the team be a winning team and get to the finals in a couple of years and be a playoff team in years to come. It will help the young core of talented rookies to take their game to the next level.

I think that the main problem that the management and Babcock need to address for next season, is the defense of the team. There is a big problem in the lack of toughness on defense that it is too weak and it cost Toronto a lot of games. There is too much time that I see that opposite players go into the grease freely without anyone who hits them or pushes them out.

Also, there are too many games that Toronto got the lead and lets the other team back them up into their own zone, instead of keeping the puck in the offensive zone and keeping the pressure on the opponent. This leads to unnecessary pressure on the team that a lot of time leads to blown leads and costs us the game in many cases.

Also, they need to build the team resilience and to learn how to play with the lead, which they are lacking this year. I see too many times that Toronto has the lead going deep into the game but they manage to blow it. It cost us too many points.

I admire the work of the management and Babcock which made the Leafs again a winning team and exciting team to watch. I think that we have an amazing core of young talented rookies that will lead Toronto in the next year. We just need to keep them with long term contracts and continue to build around them, to sign Boyle and Fehr to multiple year contracts so they can teach and guide this amazing young core of talented and promising rookies. And also add more young prospects from the Marlins that fit the system and add some good veterans to the one that we already have but without trade any of the talented and promising young players that we have.

I trust the management and Babcock that they will address the issues that need to improve that is mainly the defense of the team, to get at least another two good defensemen to the ones that we already have. If the management will do it like they have been doing the last two years, I see a bright future for Toronto and we will be a playoff team for years to come. Maybe we will win the Stanley cup in the next few years. I’m proud of the team and I am glad to finally see them as a winning and successful team. No matter what will happen in the playoffs I’m proud to be a Toronto Maple Leaf fan for life and nothing could change it.