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Right now, nobody seems able to stop these Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs have won five of their last 10 contests and four of their last five games. Since November 1, the franchise has been playing well under the structure head coach Mike Babcock has implemented.
The Leafs are playing with more confidence, the goaltending dilemma appears to be solved with James Reimer ready to take the job away from Jonathan Bernier and some who have struggled in Toronto during their stay are beginning to have fans and other teams take notice. The biggest name that has really developed this season is forward Joffrey Lupul. He has played 253 regular season games in Toronto and scored 178 points. This season, he already has 10 points in 19 contests.
Since the playoffs of 2013, Reimer has been in the dog house with various management groups in Toronto, but under Babcock he has thrived. He has regained lost confidence, proving to himself, the fans and the management team in Toronto that he has not lost a step. The biggest surprise of them all is that he has been in goal for all of the team’s wins. He has started in 11 games plus one in relief of Bernier. He has won six of his 11 starts and currently has a .930 save percentage with a goals against average of 2.19.
Seeing both of these men play well has been fantastic, but this management team promised pain and said that there will be difficult times ahead for this hockey club. With that being said, the time is now to deal Lupul and Reimer.
Lupul has a history of various injuries over the years, and Toronto cannot afford to entertain the idea of hanging onto their forward. At age 32, Lupul will not be a player involved with this team if, and when, they become relevant in the NHL again. The closest he has played to a healthy season is his rookie year as an Edmonton Oilers forward in the 2006-07 campaign when he played 81 games. He has never been able to reach anything close to that since.
Reimer has been a definite positive for this franchise. He has been more reliable than Bernier this season, but he has a history of injuries and could be a valuable trade chip to move to a team needing help between the pipes.
The Maple Leafs need to strike while the iron is hot. Now is the time to deal their forward and goaltender for youth and prospects.
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