The Maple Leafs In My Opinion

Photo by: Nathan Denette/Canadian Press As NHL All-Star break approaches, the Toronto Maple Leafs may have a dilemma that needs to be addressed. The team is currently in the middle of a playoff race, playing some inspired hockey for the past two months, and are an impact defenseman away from becoming a serious threat in the Eastern Conference. Because of this, there have been a number trade rumours involving Leafs forward, James van Riemsdyk (JVR), since start of the 2016-17 season. At just 27-years of age, he is in the middle of his prime and has done fairly well offensively for most of his career. There has been some interest  in the 6-foot-3-inch winger and JVR definitely has enough value to help land the team a defender should he be involved in a trade. There are, however, a few legitimate reasons why the Leafs would be wise to keep JVR for the foreseeable future. Case for trading him Photo by: John E. Sokolowski / USA TODAY Sports JVR's value is currentl

Photo by: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports As the Toronto Maple Leafs approach the midway mark of the 2016-17 season, they find themselves in the middle of a playoff race. Despite their 5-3 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, the Leafs (18-13-8) are just two points behind the Boston Bruins for 2nd in the Atlantic Division with three games in hand. Everyone on the Leafs roster has played a part in the team's turnaround season this year. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander among other rookies have played exceptionally well at both ends of the ice. The defensive unit, while still a work in progress, continues to improve. The team is seventh in the league in goals for, third in shots-per-game, seventh on the power play, and eighth on the penalty kill. Another player who needs to be added to that list is Frederik Andersen. After suffering through a disastrous October , Andersen has since rebounded to become the reliable starter the team had hoped f