Toronto Maple Leafs: Which players have the most pressure in Game 7?
By Brad Vos
Franchise cornerstones expected to carry the team in big moments
(Pressure Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥)
Morgan Rielly, William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner
Rielly was drafted fifth overall by the Leafs in 2012 so he has been around for all of the playoff disappointment. He has looked brilliant at times over the years and subpar at others.
He really has not developed into a premiere NHL defenceman by any metric but is still a vital part of this team. His tenure on the Leafs alone makes this another pivotal moment for how he is viewed by fans. Monday would be an excellent time to look like an elite blueliner for Toronto.
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A lot has been made of Dubas’ decision to put over $40 million of cap hits into his ‘Big 4’ forwards of Tavares, Matthews, Marner and Nylander. Now is put up or shut up time for this experiment. The stars are not young anymore. They are not lacking for leadership. Additional defence and muscle was brought in to reinforce the scorers. Of the three (Tavares does not count in this series, obviously) stars, Nylander has been the best in this series but has been a lightning rod for criticism in his Leafs career.
Marner has failed to demonstrably show that his game translates in the playoffs. He wears an ‘A’ and makes nearly $11 million per season. His offensive prowess in the regular season is not questioned with career points per game over one. However, in 31 lifetime playoff games, he has registered only 25 points. This series he has four assists in six games. That is not good enough to keep the team playing deep into the playoffs.
Matthews is the best player on the team and his performance has been subpar in this series, with just four points himself in the first six games. Nobody is questioning that he is one of the best players in the world and an all-time Maple Leaf already. Superstars play their best in the biggest games and a Game 7 against Montreal certainly qualifies as a big game. I’m betting Matthews steps up and leads the team to a win in this one, exorcising some demons for this iteration of the franchise. And if not, hey, at least Ontario has opened up golf courses again.
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Who do you think is facing the most pressure on the Toronto Maple Leafs? What do you think will happen in Game 7 against Montreal? Let us know in the comments below.