Detroit ain't doing that much better.
Oh really? Well, let's look at some FACTS and then form an intelligent opinion:
Detroit and Toronto have each played 8 games so far. Detroit has 10 of a possible 16 points (62.5%). Toronto has 7 of a possible 16 (
43.8%...if we round UP).
Detroit is 9th out of 30 teams in the league, Toronto is
25th.
Detroit is 5th out of 16 teams in the Eastern Conference, Toronto is
14th.
Detroit is 3rd out of 8 teams in the Atlantic Division, Toronto is
7th.
Detroit has a goal differential of plus 1, Toronto has a goal differential of
minus 4.
Detroit soundly defeated Toronto the one time they played this season.
Detroit soundly defeated Toronto the one time they played in the pre-season.
All this despite the fact that Detroit was without Pavel Datsyuk (the most skilled hockey player in the world) for its first 5 games, and has also been without Franzen and Howard for a game each...while Toronto has had NO significant injuries so far.
Toronto has outshot its opponents in exactly ONE of its 8 games so far. The Toronto coach, best known for having difficulties with toasters, has already publicly criticized his
entire team, while the DETROIT coach is universally regarded as the best hockey coach in the world today and one of the best of all time.
Detroit has one of the best GMs of all time in Ken Holland, while Toronto is following its tradition of GMs like John Ferguson Jr. and Brian Burke with Dave Nonis, who it appears should be called "Lame Duck Nonis" since the poor guy has people above, beside and below him all taking part in what is clearly a plan to soon expel him from his position. In fact the whole operation is in disarray, with Tim Leiweke having given his notice a few months ago to leave the rapidly sinking ship.
Detroit has two guaranteed Hall of Famers on its current roster (Datsyuk and Zetterberg) and Toronto has NONE.
Detroit has a raft of great young players (Nyquist, Tatar, Jurco, Sheahan, Mrazek,....) while Toronto has NONE.
Detroit is doing a good job of managing the cap, while Toronto has mortgaged its future with longterm expensive contracts to deadweights like Phaneuf, Kessel and Clarkson.
That's just THIS season. If we look at recent history we learn that Detroit has made the playoffs for the past 23 consecutive seasons while the Leafs have made them ONCE in the past decade (and that ONCE was in a shortened season). The ONE time the Leafs made the playoffs, they bowed out in the first round by staging the most epic collapse in the HISTORY of playoff game sevens. Detroit has 4 Cups in the past 17 years, while Toronto has ZERO in the past
47. In fact, Toronto has not even
made the finals since 1967 - not surprising, when we consider that Toronto has NEVER won more than two playoff rounds in a single year.
THOSE are the FACTS.