Bruce Boudreau believes Maple Leafs had their best off-season yet
Former NHL legendary head coach Bruce Boudreau was asked who he believes had the best off-season so far in the Atlantic Division, and he said it’s the Leafs.
The Atlantic Division is very tough, as three of the last five Stanley Cup winners have come from it, as well as four of the last six Presidents Trophy winners.
Despite all of that, Bruce Boudreau is still putting his money on the Toronto Maple Leafs, as he claims they have had the best summer than any other team in that very tough division.
Boudreau said he is very impressed by the Leafs due to their acquisitions this summer of two key defensemen in Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev.
‘I really like what they did with their defense,’ said Boudreau in his role as NHL Network analyst. ‘Especially when you get Tanev. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, when he’s at his best, he’s still a really good defenseman. These guys are really good players and Toronto’s already got the offense… If they’ve got the defence that goes with it, I really believe they can make it past the first round and go a little bit further.’
Chris Tanev began last season with the Calgary Flames where he played 56 games, managing to score just one goal and adding 13 assists. He was then traded by the Flames to the Dallas Stars as a rental player, where he picked up another goal and four assists in 19 games with the club.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson had a very memorable season with the Florida Panthers last year. He played in 80 games and managed to pick up 32 points, while maintaining a very solid plus/minus rating of +10. He notched a further six points in his 24 playoff games en route to winning the Stanley Cup. The Leafs are very happy to be able to call a Champion one of their own for next season.
Boudreau also had great things to say about new Leafs head coach Craig Berube, as he’s coached against him many times in the past.
‘He was always a tough guy to go against… That’s going to make the Leafs a little bit tougher, a bit more sandpaper… I do see them being tougher to play against next year.’
