Anonymous NHLer slams the Leafs: “How the f*** can they win the Stanley Cup when they play no defense!?!?!“

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been the toast of the NHL’s North Division since the puck dropped on the 2020-21 season, but not everyone is convinced that they’re the juggernaut fans and analysts seem to think they are.

In his latest article for The Athletic, NHL insider Craig Custance managed to get some anonymous quotes from players, general managers, scouts and coaches from across the league in an effort to gauge just how people on the inside think the postseason will play out. And… boy oh boy did Custance get some fantastic quotes on the Leafs.

Check it out:

Scout: “Goaltending. I’m just not sure about it. It could be above average, it could be below average. I don’t think many people can tell you for sure, to be honest. Their defense, I’m not totally sold on their defense. They have a good group of forwards. They’ve mixed in their veterans. They’ve gotten good results from that. But you have to have really good goaltending, I just don’t know what to expect.”

GM: “I think they’ll come out of that group, but if you’re talking about winning the whole thing, it’s a different game when they come out of that division. Defensively, goaltending, we’ll see.”

And here’s the best quote of all:

The player: “Toronto — they’re steamrolling teams in the Canadian division. Guess what? I don’t think any of the teams in the Canadian division are good. Any of them. They have no defense. How the fuck can they win the Stanley Cup when they play no defense?… I just don’t think their forwards care enough about defense to win. I don’t know if their goalie is good enough to steal them a series. They’re good against the Canadian division. I don’t think they’re actually good.”

Thoughts, Leafs fans?