Hockey Fever Returns to Toronto: Can the Leafs Make It Count?

The beginning of hockey season is the most exciting time of year, especially if you’re a Maple Leafs fan. There seems to be an era of excitement; the fans like what they are seeing. With the addition of Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy gives the Leafs more balanced scoring.

I was shocked Maccelli was put on the first line, but I understand the reasoning. He is a terrific playmaker and could be the best passer on the squad. He could have some fun setting up Matthews and Knies. The trio could be explosive.

The latest news on the new second line has Bobby McMann with Nylander and Tavares. McMann is a streaky goal scorer. If he can be more consistent, he could go a long way this year. He can get his nose dirty, score some garbage goals, and get his body to the net, which could be helpful for the Leafs. Making more room for Tavares and Nylander to make plays would be huge.

The third line might be one of the best bruiser lines. Domi and Joshua can mix it up with the best. If Domi and Robinson can work well, it might save Robinson’s career. Robinson has to put up or shut up; no more second chances. 

The fourth line will be alright. Roy is a solid fourth-line centre. Roy will be good on the penalty kill. He, Jarnkrok, and Lorentz can bring some energy. Bring this line out to wake the team up. Of course, someone has to go when Scott Laughton comes off the injured reserve list. 

The Leafs more than likely will not make as many points this season.   They could be more successful in the playoffs. However, the points could be closer with the Panthers’ injuries. My guess is 96-100 points. A second or third place is in the future for the Leafs. 

The Islanders’ Make-or-Break Season: Riding on Sorokin’s Shoulders

Prediction

The New York Islanders will be successful simply because of All-Star goaltender Ilya Sorokin. Sorokin will have a bounce-back year. However, the New York Islanders’ defence will have to be stronger to keep the Isles competitive.

Where will the scoring come from? The Islanders do not have the franchise player. This year, the scoring will have to be done by committee. I am unsure if that will be enough to carry them into the playoffs.

Points player - Bo Horvat - 75 points

Bo will have to be the leader of the team. He’s going to be the first-line centre this year. I expect him to be close to a point-per-game player. If he doesn’t meet this standard, the New York Islanders will have a very long year.

Goals - Anders Lee - 33 goals

Commonly known as General Lee, Lee will produce on the power play this season. The power play is how he will score most of his goals, being in front of the net and getting his garbage goals. This year, he will be the ultimate power forward for the New York Islanders.

Surprise Player - Simon Holmstrom

Simon will take the next step this season. He will battle Lee for the goals and scoring title for the New York Islanders. Simon’s penalty killing skills will excel. He will get goals because of his speed breaking away. He will be a vital part of the New York Islanders’ future.

Final Word

Of course, things can change. The New York Islanders could surprise me and put up a good year. For New York to be competitive, the scoring has to come out. Barzel is going to have to stay healthy for the year. Someone’s gonna have to help Lee with some of the offensive goals. The special teams will need to show vast improvement this season.

The New York Islanders’ future is bright. They need one more draft to fill the cupboards. The 2026 draft could be the draft that they need. It won’t hurt them to fall back for one more season. In a couple of years, the Islanders could be a competitive and fun team to watch.

Randy 

This Might Finally Be the Leafs’ Year (No, Seriously)

Here we go again, Leafs fans. A new season, fresh hope, and the same old question: Is this finally the year the Toronto Maple Leafs figure it out?

My prediction: 97 pts

Part of the reason is the Florida Panthers. With a bunch of their big names banged up, the door is wide open for the Leafs to stay in the fight for the division. Toronto still has plenty of offense—Auston Matthews, John Tavares, William Nylander, and Matthew Knies can put up goals with the best of them. Scoring won’t be the issue.

What will hold them back?

Goaltending health issues. I wonder how many games Woll will be gone. Stolartz has not been healthy for a full year. If Stolartz can stay healthy, it will go a long way toward the Maple Leafs’ success.

William Nylander - 95 pts

This will probably get me in a lot of trouble, but I think William might very well be the best player on the team. He is perhaps the most consistent playoff player they have. They cannot blame him for the downfall last season. He was there for game after game. William is slick with offensive skill.

Auston Matthews - 53

Auston will return to where he was a couple of seasons ago. He has to for the Toronto Maple Leafs to be successful. Matthews’ one-timers are deadly. He has one of the fastest releases on his shot. Auston is the captain of this team. He has to show us why.

Surprise player - Matias Maccelli

I have a feeling that Maccelli will surprise us. He will be motivated by last year’s disappointment. A fast-skating forward, Maccelli is a slick playmaker. He has a great opportunity to play with Matthews and Knies. I see a promising future for Maccelli.

Final Word

The Leafs will be a more complete team this season. They will be a grittier team, willing to fight for the puck more. They will outwork teams and win puck battles.

One player will not overcome the loss of Marner; the effort will be shared by the team. The loss of Marner is huge, but the team will simply find another way. 

Brain Farts and Broken Heads: Another Day in the NHL

Every year, I think this will be the year. Maybe this will be the year players will start respecting each other. I hate the fact that players lose their heads (not literally, of course), thinking we are in an armed conflict and not a hockey game. What has got me a snit? In the words of a famous wrestler, LA Knight, “Well, let me tell ya”. I’m not trying to hurt players’ feelings, but sometimes they have brain farts.

Head shots attempt to cause injury

I know there can be times when there is no attempt to injure. What makes the head explode (again, not literally, I would not be alive), brainless hits players jumping up before making a hit. Then, listening to the offender mumbling, trying to defend themselves, “I was trying to get some momentum with a big hit.” Oh, that’s fine, then jump as high as you can to hit him where? Oh, that’s right, to the cranium (word of the day—it means head).

The other excuse, “My intent was not to maim, mutilate, afflict, or damage the physical body in any way,” Has someone lawyered up? Exactly what was your intent? Was it some kind of male-bonding thing? Was it maybe a love tap? I really want to know what goes through the player’s mind right before they do the deed.

Coaches are trying to defend the player for his actions, saying, “He was trying to change direction, he was not trying to hurt the player.” Reminds me of the legal counsel for the defendant. The opposing coach is yelling foul and calling the player a scoundrel (is that a family word? I hope I didn’t offend anyone) for doing it. The prosecution has spoken. Let truth be known, this coach is a hypocrite. If the shoe were on the other foot, he would want his player to do the same.

Final word

Oh, you laugh, but you know it’s true. How many of you, if you were a General Manager, wouldn’t want to acquire a Matthew Tkachuk? My source, “Oh how I hate Tkachuck, but what I wouldn’t do to acquire his services.” Doesn’t this sound like hiring a hitman, assassin, cutthroat, or even an executioner? I didn’t know hockey was such a violent sport. 

Maybe we should play a game of Candy Land? 

Four Keys to an Islanders Playoff Run in 2025

What will it take for the New York Islanders to be a successful team this season? There are four different departments of an NHL hockey team. First, there are the forwards, followed by the defense, goaltending, and finally, special teams. So, let’s go into this a little further. I thought I could write one thing that has to go right in each one of these areas for the New York Islanders to be a serious playoff contender.

Forwards

The most significant factor for the forwards is whether Barzal and Horvat are good enough to be on their own. That may sound like a funny question, but it is vital to the success of the Isles. Barzal and Horvat must be near the seventy to eighty points range. If they are not, the top 6 is in shambles.

Defence

For the Isles to succeed, they need a new leader on the defence. They need someone to stand up, take the bull by the horns, and run with it. Schaefer shouldn’t be put under that kind of pressure. He is a nineteen-year-old. Putting that on him is wrong, even if he is mature beyond his years. I am looking at Adam Pelech or Ryan Pulock to step up. The defense has to be stellar and dependable because of the lack of production possibilities in the offense. If the Islanders can keep the goals against 2 to 2.5 a game, the Isles have a chance. They have to get involved on the offensive side of the game.

Goaltending

We need Serokin to be the Serokin of old. If he is not in the top 10 in the save percentage category, it could be disastrous for the Islanders. The days of “one bad goal in a game” have to be abolished. (Using a big word to emphasize the importance of this statement). The Islanders do not have the offence to make up for bad goals. Rittich has to be consistent enough to give them a chance to win every night. He does not have to be miraculous, but that doesn’t mean he can be a sieve.

Special teams

The power play has to be more imaginative. Last year, there was too much standing around. Shoot the puck! If you don’t, you do not score. Thirdly, and most importantly, do not get outworked for the puck. Go to the net, get your nose dirty.

They must pay attention to the penalty kill. The Isles leave the faceoff circle open. They aren’t prejudiced; they leave both sides wide open, proving they were equally inept at zone coverage.

Final word

Roy has to motivate and teach the players how to win. One of the most essential qualities of a coach is moulding a player to be what they are meant to be. He needs to find a system that works.

Randy 

Brad’s Secret Sauce: How Does He Keep Signing Bargain Contracts?

Brad did it again. He signed Anthony Stolarts to a team-friendly contract. I have no idea how Brad does this, but he has been consistently on this in the off-season. Anthony signed a four-year deal worth $3.75 million per year.

Anthony might not be an elite goaltender quite yet, but as far as I see, he is in the upper echelon in the league. And what does an upper-echelon goalie get? To me, that puts him in the $5 million year bracket. Some teams that desperately need a goalie would be willing to go as high as $7 million, especially with salaries increasing as much as what seems to be a billion dollars. OK, I’m being a little facetious, but you understand where I’m coming from. I genuinely believe that with the salary going up, no team would have a problem meeting his demands if Anthony had gone the free agency route.

It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs have decided to go with Max Domi on the front line. The Maple Leafs are hoping to revive Max to his earlier form, as in the 2022-23 season, he had 49 points in 60 games, including 18 goals and 31 assists. Quite decent numbers! Can he achieve them in Toronto? 

I am not saying we will get the Max of the past. However, we have seen that players given more responsibilities tend to respond positively. It has been a long time since Max was placed on the first line. This season, he has never been given the opportunity to play with a player as good as Auston Matthews, let alone  Matthew Knies. Max can be a physical force, making more room for Matthew and Auston to make plays. Max will have plenty of opportunities to get the garbage goals diving in for the rebounds in front of the net. 

I’m in the minority here. I genuinely believe Easton  Cowan is better off playing in the top six in the  AHL with the Toronto Marlies. My thinking is that Cowan has always been the man. Having him stay on the fourth line in Toronto might very well hinder his progress. He will not have the opportunities to use his skills on the fourth line. That’s all I’m saying. I am not saying he has not earned the shot at playing on the team. But I believe that you should not rush young players. I don’t want him to lose his skills, because he doesn’t have the chance to use them.

Big Save Dave: Hope or Hype for the Islanders?

There are still too many questions and insufficient answers in the New York Islanders’ camp. One thing seems certain: Semyon Varlamov is not returning anytime soon. What worries me about Varlamov is whether this could be a reoccurrence injury. We may not see him play very much this season if it is. In the ’60s and ’70s, a goalie could play the whole season. But in today’s league, that can’t happen. I spoke with a couple of my sources, and they informed me that the magic number for starting a goalie is typically around 50 games. Serokin could go up to 55 starts. If you ask him, he would probably say 70 to 80.

Common sense suggests that overworking a goalie during the season is a risky practice. If the New York Islanders become a playoff contender this season, we need Serokin fresh. Hmmmm, maybe New York Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche knew what he was doing after all. What I am referring to is the signing of Big Save Dave, otherwise known as David Rittich.

What you get in David Rittich

Never underestimate a positive influence in the dressing room. That is precisely what you get with Dave. He will be your biggest cheerleader. Dave is what he is: a serviceable backup goalie. Fondly remembered in Calgary as “Big Save Dave” because he’s capable and makes that big save when you need it most.

That being said, one of his major problems is inconsistency. He makes one big save, but in the next minute, lets in a weak goal. If you get the Dave he was in Calgary, the Islanders will be fine in goal. Dave is a stand-up goalie who covers his angles well. He should do well in filling in for Semyon Varlamov.

Matthieu had nothing to lose with the signing of David Rittich and everything to gain. Think about it: Nobody’s expecting the Islanders to do well. If they win, they make the playoffs. If they lose, the draft is even better than last year’s. How would players like Gavin McKenna and Viktor Fyodorov look in an Islander Jersey?