Maple Leafs: Don’t worry about Drew Doughty’s comments
Drew Doughty was the latest NHL player to comment on the Toronto Maple Leafs woes and it’s getting more attention than it needs.
For the longest time, it has been the “cool thing” to make fun of or discuss the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ recent lack of success and this season has been no different.
You might remember Alex Ovechkin giving his thoughts on why Toronto needs to play differently if they want to win and those comments weren’t totally off the mark. Then on Monday, Drew Doughty was asked to provide his assessment of the Leafs and of course, he echoed a similar sentiment.
"“For them, they’re still a young group of guys,” Doughty told reporters. “I hope they’re going to learn, but it’s up to them how they want to do it. If they want to play for themselves or if they want to win a Stanley Cup they have to play differently.”"
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In fairness to Doughty, he has seen success in the playoffs winning two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings but he wasn’t ready to endorse the Leafs in any way and honestly, Leafs fans and the players shouldn’t care one way or the other.
It’s ironic because last season, Doughty believed the Leafs were the real deal.
When someone criticizes the way you play or when things aren’t going well, you have to find the truth in that. You can’t ignore it but you cannot let it consume you either which is tough to do considering the size of the media landscape.
Are the Leafs playing their best hockey? Absolutely not, but everyone seems to think that the team we’re seeing right now is what we are going to see going forward. It’s easy to kick someone when they are down but it’s important to remember that there were quite a few changes made going into the season.
This is also why the Leafs invested in players like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander. They have shown that they can provide more positives than negatives on any given night but it hasn’t materialized enough yet.
There is a reason why the Boston Bruins have been able to dominate like they have this season. It has more to do with the fact that there is continuity and familiarity with the roster and the system that they are playing in.
Toronto also has to find that balance where their talented players can showcase their skills but understand that they can’t ditch their defensive responsibilities. A big part of that will be to reduce the number of penalties they take because your best players are waiting on the bench to get on the ice.
Eventually, the Leafs will get their act in gear and they shouldn’t need a player like Doughty to tell them what the recipe for success is. That should have been established from the start of the season.
What are your thoughts on Doughty’s comments? Are you getting annoyed about the constant talk around the team’s struggles? Let us know in the comments below.