The Toronto Maple Leafs have a strong roster, but they haven’t been able to make a deep playoff run for a long time. They look weak every playoff, but they managed to make it past the first round for the first time in years during the previous season.
The city of Toronto was thrilled that the Florida Panthers eliminated the Boston Bruins in the first round. Still, the Panthers, who earned the nickname ”Comeback Cats,” only needed five games to eliminate the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the hockey world surely didn’t see it coming.
In the final game of the second-round series, a picture of Radko Gudas and Toronto goalie Joseph Woll made the rounds on social media, and it perfectly described how the Maple Leafs have had it for the last couple of years.
Game 5 ended with a Nick Cousins goal, coming off a screen from Radko Gudas, who immediately after sending Florida to the Eastern Conference Finals, turned around and celebrated in Woll’s face.
It was a typical move from Gudas, and Toronto didn’t have anyone who could retaliate or send a message that said: ”Hey, you can’t do that to this team.”
And that’s one of the reasons they decided to bring in Ryan Reaves during this off-season. The enforcer signed a three-year, $4.05 million contract this summer, and he’s in Toronto to give the talented roster a little roughness.
Reaves is known for always sticking up for his teammates and getting under his opponents’ skins, and this week, he was asked by Toronto media what he would do if Radko Gudas celebrated in Joseph Woll’s crease again.
”I hope he tries that,” Reaves said.
”It would be interesting, wouldn’t it? That’d be fun. I doubt there’s going to be any of that.”
The Leafs also brought in Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi this off-season, so it’s a fair guess that teams won’t be messing with the Maple Leafs in the same way this season.
