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Maple Leafs should follow Blackhawks model

By Darrell Samuels

Jun 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling (33) kisses the Stanley Cup up during the 2015 Stanley Cup championship rally at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling (33) kisses the Stanley Cup up during the 2015 Stanley Cup championship rally at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /
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Toronto Maple Leafs need to learn the skill of successful drafting of NHL players

The Chicago Blackhawks head to the Air Canada Centre to play a road game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They come to Toronto on a current nine-game winning streak, having defeated the Montreal Canadiens last night. Over the last three contests, the Maple Leafs have lost by a combined score of 12-2. On paper, this should be a tough contest for the home team.

The Blackhawks come to town as winners of three Stanley Cups in the past six years. They have built via the draft and superstars Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook are all original draft picks of the Chicago hockey club. They are constantly at the top of the Western Conference standings and an immediate threat on a nightly basis. However, during the late 1990s and early portion of this century, the Blackhawks were a pretty dreadful team. It is quite laughable now, considering how successful they have been lately.

The Maple Leafs could learn a lot from their opponent tonight. The management team has promised “pain” but the fans in Toronto have yet to really experience lengthy misfortune. Toronto is hoping to copy the process that the previous Stanley Cup winners have followed. These teams have built via the draft and then achieved greatness. The Maple Leafs have had a successful first year of the rebuild, bringing in Mike Babcock to coach and giving Lou Lamoriello the General Manager keys to steer the S.S. Maple Leafs ship. However, on the ice they are still at the bottom of the standings and have the chance at obtaining the first overall selection at the NHL Entry Draft in June.

“Jonathan (Toews) is as good a captain as you can have and does it right, sets the tone for their team,” Babcock said in a quote to the Toronto Sun newspaper. “Kane is a gifted player and Keith and Seabrook on the back … they have moved people in and out and they have been able to maintain some of their really good players. They’ve done a lot of winning. Any way you look at it, they have done a real nice job.”

The Maple Leafs have not really changed the culture of the hockey club, on the ice, other than a July trade last summer of Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They have some players that could become valuable prior to the February 29 NHL trade deadline, where the expiring contracts could fetch draft picks.

Either way, the Maple Leafs are probably still going to experience more pain. The Blackhawks had that “pain” to endure 10 years ago and look at them now.

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