Learning experience for the young guns and glad it happened. To get better as a young team you need to go through things like that. In the end they have played 3 games and have got points in all 3 games.
Leafs fans are a patient bunch and we all are behind this rebuild. We fully understand there will be nights like these as the young guys learn how to win in the NHL and with a coach like Babcock, they will learn.
I totally agree. Leafs losing tough games seems to bother non-Leafs fans more than Leafs fans. This was a five-year rebuilding plan all along and we all knew there'd be a whole lot of 'hurting' in the first couple of years. Last season i was actually surprised they played as well as they did, although on paper they finished last. Had they had a better start to the season, they may have been a playoffs team, which in my book was a no-no and possibly why they got rid of some good veteran players in the middle of the season.
I do expect the Leafs to make the playoffs next season and then be contenders by year 5 or as early as year 4. The Leafs haven't been contenders since the Pat Burns and Pat Quinn years when they were among the top teams in the league. But since last season, i've had a very strong feeling that things are about to change within the next few years, all for the good.
If the Leafs can play .500 hockey, i'll be a bit surprised but i'll be very happy since it'll prove to me that they're undergoing a very successful rebuild and that plans are well ahead of time.
By the way, i think it may be time for Roman Polak to be inserted into the lineup, possibly ahead of Marincin.
