James Mirtle has the laundry list ready for you. But, to be honest, it's not all bad - it just feels that way - it's the usual good, bad, and ugly.
The last quarter of the season (give or take, but mostly take) has been awful, the penalty kill is still atrocious, and it's true that the goaltending shows few signs of improving, barring a rather surprising turn in the careers of one of James Reimer, Jonas Gustavsson, Ben Scrivens, or Jussi Rynnas.
The good news? We've been fretting lately that Burke & Co. would forsake a more patient approach for the short-term gain of playoff revenue, but Dave Nonis has been quoted emphatically stating otherwise:
"Trading a lot of good young assets for older players is something we have very little interest in doing," vice-president Dave Nonis told TSN Radio on Wednesday. "We want to try and build this for the long-term success of the team."
So at least there's that.
If you're looking for a piece with a more positive outlook, check out the new piece from Vintage Leaf Memories linked below. That, and plenty more, after the jump.
We need some hope, so let’s look at 15 positives about the Leafs going forward
Michael Langlois has your daily dose of positivity at Vintage Leaf Memories.
Kessel, Carlyle 'embarrassed' by Leafs collapse
James Mirtle with the story.
Brian Burke deserves more patience from Leafs fans
That said, Dave Shoalts has his doubts about Fraçois Allaire.
Tie Domi lashes out at "core" players
Domi said this about the Leafs: "Stop saying it's the GM. Stop saying it's the coach. Step up, core guys. Figure it out." From Cam Charron at The Leafs Nation.
Leafs Sign Spencer Abbott, Will Join Marlies
Jeffler with his take on the signing at MarliesHQ.
The Magical Time Before The Instigator Rule
Perhaps it wasn't as magical as we remember. Jonathan Willis has the story at The Leafs Nation.
Canucks launch 'This Is Our Home' campaign
Offered without comment. Link via J.P. Quayle at Puck Drunk Love.
Quebec City all a-lather as NHL rumours fly
QC is having a hard time concealing its NHL boner. From Sean Gordon. (As a side note, I'd LOVE a team in QC. I'd rather loathe another Canadian team than be completely indifferent to one somewhere else.)
Backhand Shelf Podcast
The latest from Justin Bourne and Rob Pizzo.
If you have an assigned check, just hanging out near him isn’t good enough
Mike Komisarek hasn't received this memo, yet. From Justin Bourne at BHS.
The Whiteboard: How to rotate in the offensive zone
If you're a hockey player, you know this already. For those of you that are not, this is a good breakdown. From Justin Bourne.
DGB's version of the "Because It's The Cup"
I can't say I find this particularly funny, but it's DGB, so I'll link it anyway.
