James van Riemsdyk wouldn’t be the first player to crumble under the pressure of a contract year, especially the first one of a career. But, JVR, who has been with the Leafs since being acquired in the Luke Schenn trade back in 2012, has done everything but succumb to the uncertainty the final year of […]

Prior to last night’s loss in Boston, the Toronto Maple Leafs played what was easily their most impressive stretch of this season – perhaps dating back to before the 2004-05 lockout. It wasn’t so much that they put together a four-game win streak – they’ve had many of those since that time, especially the last […]

Last week, Rob Vollman of ESPN.com wrote a pretty provocative piece concerning the legitimacy of an Auston Matthews trade out of Toronto. When I read the headline, I probably thought what most Leafs fans thought: there’s no way the Toronto Maple Leafs are trading Matthews. The article itself was thought-provoking, and there was a lot […]

On Wednesday, I wrote a column calling into question Mike Babcock’s use of his players. Included in there was the lineup I would like to see the Leafs use as often as possible. One forward line you’ll see I didn’t tamper with was the top-line trio of Zach Hyman, Auston Matthews and Willy Nylander. An […]

Few people – in fact, maybe none at all – would argue that Mike Babcock is the best bench boss to grace a National Hockey League franchise with his presence. He’s a tactical genius, a player’s coach and possesses a strong pedigree of success at several different levels. That said, several people who know the […]