There isn’t much to talk about in terms of the game tonight.
Ilya Samsonov is hurt, so Joseph Woll will start the game. He was good last game in relief of Samsonov, but not great. After this season it does appear that he’s ready to be a backup goaltender in the NHL, at least in this fans opinion.
The lineup is expected to change a little, with Mark Giordano taking a turn in the pressbox.
If this is the lineup all i can say is it’s not a bad move by Keefe. Giordano hasn’t been good in the postseason, but has been given a pass due to his veteran status. The only troubling thing is the fact that Justin Holl is still in and will likely play way too many minutes.
Either way, the coach is going down in flames with Kerfoot and Holl high in the lineup. Dance with the girl you brought, I guess.
Question of the day:
If/when the Leafs lost this series, who is your #1 trade chip this summer?
For me, I’ve been flip-flopping between Marner and Nylander. One one hand, Marner would bring back a much larger return. On the other hand, Nylander is set to become an unrestricted free agent just over a year from now; based on how his previous contract negotiations went, and the team having no leverage this time around, my prediction for what he would cost Toronto (and only Toronto) keeps rising and is currently above 10.5M per season. He isn’t worth that much, so it’s probably a safe bet to move him.
When I really think about it, the correct move could be to move on from both. Get the massive return for Marner and cut ties with Nylander before it’s too late. Improve the top end of the blueline, as well as the depth up front and come back as a more complete team in the spring.