Leafs Gear Up For The “First Round Cup” With Another Blockbuster!
I’m calling anything Dubas does to get the Leafs out of the first round a “Blockbuster.”
We’ve acquired Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, a conditional 5th round pick in 2024 and a conditional 5th round pick in 2025 from Chicago in exchange for a conditional 2025 1st round pick, 2026 2nd round pick, Joey Anderson and Pavel Gogolev
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) February 27, 2023
Don’t tell me people don’t perform better when their job is on the line. Kyle Dubas is living proof.
Kyle Dubas just went all in. I never again want to hear anyone say the threat of losing your job doesn't change a person.
— Dean Blundell🇨🇦 (@ItsDeanBlundell) February 27, 2023
The time has come to extend Kyle Dubas! @criermediaclips #leafs #LeafsForever
Listen wherever you get your podcasts and watch here:https://t.co/5PlSYUP8l1 pic.twitter.com/hSPw742RSF
— Rob Furnish (@RobertFurnish) February 28, 2023
Jake McCabe is an impact, big physical defenseman and the top 4 physical d-man who can play in all situations. He’ll eat minutes and take a ton of pressure off Morgan Reilly and Mar Giordano.
McCabe is signed through 24-25, and Chicago pays half his salary. Lafferty is signed through 23-24, and the speedy forward has had a breakout year. He’s a massive 3/4th-line upgrade tied for the league lead in short-handed goals.
Holy shit! The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Jake McCabe & Sam Lafferty from the Chicago Blackhawks! Wow! McCabe has been legit TOP4 defenseman since ~2019 and is one of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL. What an addition for Toronto! pic.twitter.com/lWNRe0FMwq
— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) February 27, 2023
Sam Lafferty, acquired by TOR, is a speedy bottom six forward who kills penalties. Finishing has appeared out of nowhere this season, particularly shorthanded. #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/3MbwqUshTf
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 27, 2023
Sam Lafferty (#24) has 10 goals and 17 primary points this season. Here are all of them (except for one primary assist that bounced off of his skate) pic.twitter.com/SG376Dto1E
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) February 27, 2023
There’s some brilliance in Kyle Dubas’s desperation too.
He added ROR, Acciari, McCabe, and Lafferty for a series of draft picks taking nothing from the Leafs’ current roster. He convinced St. Louis, Minnesota, and Chicago to keep paying ROR, Acciari, And McCabe to make it work, too.
Again, Gandolf shit.
Dubas shifted any responsibility for future failure onto the players, and he’s all in. He also set the Leafs up for the next two years regardless of his future with the Leafs, and I respect that.
And this team is as ‘real’ as ever. They are deeper, bigger, and faster. They have four lines, 2-3 PP/PK units, and are probably better today than two weeks ago. For the first time in my lifetime, the Maple Leafs match up with REAL contenders in the east (TB, NJ, BOS), and their roster might be better.
WHAT IF…?
The east is still a DRAG. Boston is statistically the best team in the NHL. Tampa Bay is still Tampa Bay, and the New Jersey Devils just landed Timo Meier to go with the best young Roster in the NHL. Getting out of the first round will be a task, but it’s not fool’s gold this time. I think.
But what if they lose in the first round? Again? in Game 7 for the 6th year in a row?
The new guys don’t have “blue and white disease,” so the malaise hasn’t set in.
This is going to work. I can feel it.
Dean Blundell
Dean Blundell is a Canadian radio personality. Best known as a longtime morning host on CFNY-FM (The Edge) in Toronto, Ontario. In 2015 he was named the new morning host on sports radio station CJCL (Sportsnet 590 The Fan). Dean started his career in radio in 2001 and for nearly 20 years been entertaining the radio audience. Dean’s newest venture is the launch of his site and podcast which is gaining tremendous momentum across North America.
