As part of a running series Adidas Ian Cole #28
Jersey , Puck Prose will diagnose what went wrong with the
eliminated playoff teams. Next up from the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs: the
Toronto Maple LeafsThe Toronto Maple Leafs lost in six games versus the
Washington Capitals in round one of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They were a
young team, one not expected to overwhelm the Capitals. They came close though,
and not much went wrong in their playoff series.But there are things that did go
wrong. We’ll discuss these, breaking down each one. Let us begin with:Defensive
LeadershipToronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) skates with the puck
(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)It would be wishful thinking for me, as a Chicago
Blackhawks fan, to say that the Toronto Maple Leafs desperately need Brent
Seabrook. But they do need somebody, an experienced defenseman capable of
playing top 2 minutes. Somebody with veteran presence who can help the Maple
Leafs blue line youth.Somebody who can play above Morgan Rielly and Jake
Gardiner and Nikita Zaitsev, who can come in handy in clutch situations and help
develop these defensemen.Because Toronto desperately needed an experienced
defenseman outside of those three. They need a true top 1 or 2 defenseman,
somebody who can play upwards of 28 minutes a night in the playoffs. There’s not
a lot of those guys, but there are some available to the Maple Leafs.That
includes, in free agency, Kevin Shattenkirk. There will be a bidding war for
Shattenkirk’s services, and the Maple Leafs only have about fourteen million to
spend on six players. If there was a guy and a time to overpay Adidas Evgeni Malkin #71
Jersey , though, it would be Shattenkirk for this team.TradesBut
overpaying can only go so far – if Shattenkirk’s contract gets over six million,
move on. There are other defensemen available to the Maple Leafs. Most of these
are through trades.Ottawa Senators defenseman Marc Methot (3) passes the puck
(Russell LaBounty-USA TODAY Sports)With a smart trade, the Maple Leafs could
acquire somebody like Ryan Ellis or Mattias Ekholm from Nashville – they won’t
be able to protect both in the expansion draft. The Maple Leafs could trade for
Brent Seabrook and more from the Blackhawks for a very small amount in return,
but there’s a reason for that.The Maple Leafs could also trade for one of the
other top defensemen available at the entry draft, because of Vegas’s expansion
draft. Names like Cam Fowler, Mike Green, Jack Johnson, Alec Martinez, Thomas
Hickey, and Marc Methot might be available. All of these guys could play top 2
minutes.Marc Methot is especially appealing.Clutch PlayThe Toronto Maple Leafs
lost three games in the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs in overtime. They also won two
in OT, but still. Losing the majority of overtime games, especially when you 2-1
back to back Adidas Matt Murray #30
Jersey , is going to hurt you. And it did.So how do the Maple Leafs
find OT scoring? Well, they have stars that didn’t produce in OT. Neither Mitch
Marner nor Auston Matthews scored an overtime goal. Both Marner and William
Nylander, the third of the rookie trio, scored just one goal.Toronto Maple Leafs
forward Auston Matthews (34) looks for a pass (John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY
Sports)And while that can be blamed on being all three of those guys rookie
years and their first taste of the playoffs, they still needed to step up bigger
in clutch situations. Matthews especially, who already delivered a forty goal
season, needs to step it up in overtime.In fact, only three Maple Leafs scored
more than once. While Matthews led the team with four goals (hey, I’m not saying
he played poorly, just in overtime), James Van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak tied at
two. One of Bozak’s was an overtime winner.So the rookies are going to have to
learn from Tyler Bozak as a model for overtime play. I mean, just look at his
whole play on this goal. It’s remarkable.[Via Youtube.com]Everybody on this
Leafs roster next year should be attempting to emulate Tyler Bozak. Something
I’d never thought I’d say.Just Too Darn YoungThe Maple Leafs really only had one
fundamental flaw in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs… they were too damn young.
Yeah, getting defensive leadership will be critical in the offseason Adidas Jake Guentzel #59
Jersey , and the kids could play better in overtime.Next: Preds One
Playoff Win From Franchise HistoryBut at the same time, they took the Washington
Capitals to six games the year everyone though the Capitals would finally win
the Cup. That’s a remarkable feat. The Maple Leafs are special. They just need
more than one year in the playoffs, and they will likely be better next year.A
few of the guys need to show up more than once – Marner, Nylander, Nazem Kadri –
but other than that, they played really well. Sit back and relax Toronto fans,
there’s not much to fix on this roster.More from Puck ProseNashville Predators:
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