The Maple Leafs are yet again a top-five team in the league this season, but there were notable roster holes in need of addressing. The intimidating path through Tampa Bay and Boston – sometimes mentioned as a reason for caution – is irrelevant here.
They have to beat good teams to win the Stanley Cup. That’s life.
Hanging around every season and peeking around at the other teams wondering if the path is safe enough *this* season in order to justify buying aggressively at the deadline is a losing mentality. Do you believe in the team or not?