Ray Ferraro Discusses What The Maple Leafs Need To Fix Urgently

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Julien Trekker
September 10, 2023 (3:44 PM)

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The Maple Leafs are getting ready for another season with high hopes. They want nothing more than to be at the top of the Atlantic Division and have a long playoff run.

An important figure in hockey made a significant statement on a pressing issue in Toronto.

Ferraro Reveals What the Leafs Need to Fix

During an interview on TSN, Ray Ferraro started by discussing what Auston Matthews will need to do if he wants to win it all, then he addressed the major issue in Toronto:

"I think the thing with Matthews is, he's one of the three or four players that's thrown his name in the hat. If they go all out throughout the season like Matthews did once and Connor McDavid doesn't outperform everyone and get 150 points, there's a chance you can win a Rocket Richard, you can win a Hart Trophy, and there's only a few guys that can do it. There's Cale Makar, there's Nathan MacKinnon, there's Draisaitl. There aren't many guys that can do it.

The best years of a player's career, we know it, are in his upper 20s. And Toronto has him for those years, but it can only matter so much.

Whether Auston Matthews signed for eight years or four years for 10 million or 13 million, they're not winning the Stanley Cup with the defense as it's currently constructed. So, we can all focus on those guys, right? We'll focus on them because they're the headlining players. But that defense has to be addressed. And until it is, the team's going to be one of the best in the regular season. And we'll see what they are come playoff time. Why can't Toronto get 110 points this year? They can, for sure. Absolutely."

The Blue Line

All the buzz around Matthews will be for nothing if he doesn't shine on the ice. Both the Hart and the Rocket Richard trophies are within his grasp, and he knows what he has to do to clinch them.

But as Ferraro mentioned, it'll all be in vain if Brad Treliving doesn't address his blue line.

The defensive unit simply isn't up to par right now. They'll never reach the Finals with the current lineup, and they aren't a match for other top teams.

They might achieve an outstanding record once again this year, but the playoffs are a different beast.