Sportsnet: Frank Seravalli on Sportsnet 590 on the options the Toronto Maple Leafs have right now after their slow start to the season.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“Watching this team through the first six games, I think the biggest thing is, it’s a reminder that if the big three aren’t going and they’re not scoring, that this team doesn’t really offer much else. There’s no identity. There’s no bottom-six that’s going to come in and save the day. Other teams have that. That can pick you up when you’re big guns aren’t going. The Leafs simply don’t.
It comes down to the big three, and as you mentioned, Marner, Matthews and Tavares have combined for one goal so far in six games (interview before last night’s game). It’s not cutting it.
To go back to some of the other question marks that this team had to start the year, Jack Campbell had a .953 save percentage before being hung out to dry. I mean, through the first four games he was outstanding.
So, you want to talk about release valves, the way I see it, there’s really three options.
One, you mentioned, it’s the easy one, fire the coach. I just don’t see it. Sheldon Keefe just got an extension. We just talked about the big three not holding up their end of the bargain. And it’s not on him.
So that brings you to number two, which is make a huge trade. Grab the attention of everyone in the dressing room, and if you’re going to circle a player, I think everyone would have to agree that it’s got to be Mitch Marner that would be the guy. I would have to think. He has value. Talented player. Tough playoff runs. Not doing it this year. Huge salary cap hit. All those things come together. I don’t see the Leafs being at that point. We’re six games in and it’s nowhere near what the expectations were. We can talk about trying to win a round, but how about getting into the playoffs first. You have to do that.
And then really the third option which is, what I feel the Leafs doing at this point is to essentially triple down. Triple down on the roster and what you’ve put together. They doubled down before the season by essentially running the same core back again. So now that we’ve hit another referendum point, that Kyle Dubas and the executive staff of the Leafs essentially tripled down and say, “We believe in what we’ve built. This is just six games. We just got Auston Matthews back for the last few, and now’s the point where we begin to take off.”