Toe Drag Cheddar: Enough Is Enough, Roman Polak BLOWS
As the Maple Leafs were defeated by two scummy goals and a hot tendy Tuesday night vs Tampa Bay, the picture became a little more clear with where the problem lies. The back end of the Leafs is becoming a serious problem and changes must be on the horizon if they want to make strides from a very good to an elite club.
Guys like ‘Shakey Jakey’ need to be more consistent, Marincin needs to call in sick more, and Carrick needs to practice his outlet pass, but above all else – Roman Polak must go!
Even though Polak holds a special place in Leafs Nation’s hearts as he did take a puck through the side of the face and basically didn’t miss a shift, having to watch him struggle on a nightly basis is becoming quite the task.
His foot speed is horrendous, as his first 4 strides look like he has tape on his blades. His hands are heavy because of all the cement in his gloves, and his decision making rivals Bryan McCabe in Buffalo, each and every game.
Polak is a great penalty killer, well good penalty killer, let’s not put great and Polak in the same sentence. But Polak has a terrible time icing the puck for no reason, not finding the forward with the first pass, and being a step behind the play.
Roman Polak is hard to watch.
With Nikita Zaitsev out for what looks like another week or two, expect the Leafs to look on the farm at either Dermott or Liljegren (once the tourney is over) to take away some minutes from the bottom pair. Both of these kids have been banged up but appear to be back to 100% and if Lou and Shanny are reluctant to pull the trigger on a deal, the upgrade will come from within.
During my last ‘Toe Drag’, I mentioned to the chagrin of several that the likes of Mike Green, Nik Kronwall, TJ Brodie and Tyler Myers could be on the Leafs radar. Sure, some would be easier to acquire and a more realistic acquisition, but the point is the Leafs MUST upgrade their defence if they want to take the next step.
It’s always hard to put the blame on one player but with the way Marincin played during last season’s Caps series, it cost the team two playoff wins. Roman Polak is well on his way to becoming this years’ focus of blame.
Let’s give him credit for trying to take Namestnikov’s head off for pushing Freddie last night, that kind of shit Roman has no problem handling, but when it comes to normal hockey plays, ‘Romie’ has a hard time.
The Maple Leafs have a ton of home games in January and this month is very much a statement opportunity. It’s time to separate yourself from the pack and collect points on a regular basis. With Roman Polak in the lineup, this will be much harder to accomplish.
Kudos for being tough as nails, kudos for coming back from a gruesome injury, kudos for playing in the league so long, but Roman Polak you need to go.
That’s it for me, remember to keep your drags toey and always finish cheddar.
Thanks for stopping by.
Shug McSween
Shug McSween is a veteran here at DeanBlundell.com and has been contributing since day one. A sports nut with a sophisticated opinion, expect McSween to cover any and everything he's passionate about. When he's not busy writing and editing for our crew, McSween likes to get away via fairways and greens. He also contributes to The Hockey Writers, NHLTradeRumors.me and BballRumors.com