Boston Bruins 2015-16 Division Rivalry: Toronto Maple Leafs
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
With the 2015-16 season approaching, it seems fitting to touch-base and size up the Bruins in comparison to each of their division rivals. The Boston Bruins had a mixed result when playing within their division, and this series of stories will explain what the Bruins have to do, and have to avoid to succeed within the Atlantic in the 2015-16 season. The second team to be analyzed will be the Toronto Maple Leafs.
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The 2014-15 season was rough one for the Boston Bruins, mixed with injuries, bad cap-management, and really just poor-effort almost all the way around, which led to the first missed playoffs since the 2006-07 season for the Bruins. The Bruins and Maple Leafs split the season down the middle in 2014-15, both winning two games each. The Maple Leafs are in a very heavy rebuild right now, however those are the teams that are the most dangerous to play against. Every team wants to play spoiler to a potential playoff contender, and the Leafs will be no exception to that rule.
The Maple Leafs are building their team around young, skilled players like Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly. The level of skill will eventually be very difficult for teams all around the NHL, including Boston, to deal with. The Bruins will need to work hard and not underestimate the skill level of these players, even if there is inexperience coupled with that skill. It will be important to not get overconfident in any situation because anything can happen as Toronto learned in the 2013 playoffs. As it stands, the level of skill will probably not outweigh the inexperience at the NHL level that the Maple Leafs Roster has, and as such, the Bruins will need to simply play smart hockey and expose those weaknesses.
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The Bruins will need play to their strength and capitalize on any mismatch or misplacement that the Leafs players leave exposed. With coach Mike Babcock behind the bench, the young players in Toronto have a very good mentor to learn from, but it will take time. The Bruins can capitalize on this for at least the first few matchups, if not the entire season, and divisional wins are very important for any team fighting to make the playoffs.
Similarly to the Montreal Canadiens matchup, David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner will be very important to the matchup with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The speed and skill that the young duo brings to the Bruins will be enough to force mismatches against some of the younger Maple Leafs forwards, even if David Pastrnak is only entering his second NHL season. The half-season of experience that he was able to obtain during the 2014-15 season should be enough to provide confidence to the line, and should allow for success to ensue.
What do YOU think the Bruins will have to do to succeed against the Toronto Maple Leafs this season? Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Find out how the Bruins can succeed against the Montreal Canadiens here!
Next up: Detroit Red Wings