![]() ![]() ![]() It was a blatant, unprovoked attempt to injure. When is chopping wood like inviting someone to tea? By now, everyone has seen Alex Pietrangelo’s vicious slash on Draisaitl. Their coach, Young Sheldon Keefe, said he thought Toronto had the stuff to go all the way after they were eliminated by the Panthers - but Kyle Dubas has built his team with far too many players who look like tigers on paper but turn out to be paper tigers. If there’s a cure for the Leafs, it isn’t immediately obvious. Edmonton had the best shot this year, with Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid at their brilliant best, but they were undone by that gaping hole at the back. Outside of southern Ontario, most Canadians would rather see the Kraken or the Golden Knights win it than the Maple Leafs. The only thing that could possibly make him happier would be to see his beloved Arizona Coyotes play a Cup final in front of 5,000 people at Mullett Arena on the Arizona State campus. Article contentĪs of this writing, we’re left with three Sun Belt teams (two of them transplanted from the north years ago) and two expansion teams - one of them the Seattle Kraken, a team that has yet to celebrate its second birthday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. ![]() The Canucks have a mess at the top, the Flames will regret the Matthew Tkachuk trade and the departure of Johnny Gaudreau forever, the Jets have a sick dressing-room culture, the Senators can’t quite seem to get there and the Canadiens may have a shot in three or four years, but they’re in rebuilding mode 30 years after they won Canada’s last Stanley Cup. The rest, at this point, are wannabes - the Canadiens included. The Oilers have the two best players in the game but without vintage 2015 Carey Price goaltending, they can’t get over the hump. The Maple Leafs inevitably wilt in the heat of the playoffs, their young, expensive and talented core disinclined to battle the way you have to battle come playoff time. The Stanley Cup drought has reached 30 years in the True North Strong and Free, with no end in sight. ![]() The next issue of HI/O: Montreal's Road to the Cup will soon be in your inbox. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. Manage Print Subscription / Tax ReceiptĪ welcome email is on its way. ![]()
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