Former NHL legendary head coach Bruce Boudreau was asked who he believes had the best off-season so far in the Atlantic Division, and he said it’s the Leafs.
The Atlantic Division is very tough, as three of the last five Stanley Cup winners have come from it, as well as four of the last six Presidents Trophy winners.
Despite all of that, Bruce Boudreau is still putting his money on the Toronto Maple Leafs, as he claims they have had the best summer than any other team in that very tough division.
Boudreau said he is very impressed by the Leafs due to their acquisitions this summer of two key defensemen in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev.
‘I really like what they did with their defense,’ said Boudreau in his role as NHL Network analyst. ‘Especially when you get Tanev. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, when he’s at his best, he’s still a really good defenseman. These guys are really good players and Toronto’s already got the offense… If they’ve got the defence that goes with it, I really believe they can make it past the first round and go a little bit further.’
Chris Tanev began last season with the Calgary Flames where he played 56 games, managing to score just one goal and adding 13 assists. He was then traded by the Flames to the Dallas Stars as a rental player, where he picked up another goal and four assists in 19 games with the club.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a very memorable season with the Florida Panthers last year. He played in 80 games and managed to pick up 32 points, while maintaining a very solid plus/minus rating of +10. He notched a further six points in his 24 playoff games en route to winning the Stanley Cup. The Leafs are very happy to be able to call a Champion one of their own for next season.
Boudreau also had great things to say about new Leafs head coach Craig Berube, as he’s coached against him many times in the past.
‘He was always a tough guy to go against… That’s going to make the Leafs a little bit tougher, a bit more sandpaper… I do see them being tougher to play against next year.’
The biggest competition for the Leafs next season in their division is going to be the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. How have they fared so far this off-season?
To date, the Panthers have lost Brandon Montour and Ekman-Larsson from their back end, Vladimir Tarasenko left to sign with the Detroit Red Wings, and their goaltender Anthony Stolarz has also left and signed with the Leafs.
Their next biggest competition is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have bolstered their lineup by adding Jake Guentzel, however they did lose franchise player Steven Stamkos to the Nashville Predators.
The Boston Bruins are also another threat, and they spent their off-season signing Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm, however they did lose some significant key players such as Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen.
Leafs fans get ready, it’s going to be a wild, fun ride ahead, and as per Bruce Boudreau’s comments, it seems as though good things are coming for the team next season.
