Mike Johnson

I think you forget that he's on this team.

He's played so little this year.

Like, wait a second, right, that guy and Jake McCabe were one of the best shutdown pairs in the entire NHL last year, and they haven't played at all this year.

But, yes, this idea, and I think like everything in life,

There's a balance that is optimal.

And I think as the Leafs lost, I'm talking seven, eight years ago, when they were losing those playoff rounds, the idea that they're too skilled, too soft, not enough playoff air quotes kind of players.

And they have slowly been chasing that version, the playoff-style heavy team, for like seven, eight years.

And you look at the guys they pick up, guys at the trade deadline, they're always trying to find that bit of jam and grit

and you forget at some point you need the puck to play the game.

And, you know, last year was driven a lot by goaltending, power play, star players.

Some of that's dropped off, but a lot of it is, frankly, as you know, they never get the puck out of their own end cleanly.

And when you just don't get it there, you force yourself to defend, goaltending's average, all of a sudden the team is not bad.

I mean, they're going to get 90 points, but they're not good.

And I think that's,

the unfortunate realization of this team right now as they are built is that they're fine, but they're not really good.

And I think that's sort of where they're at.

I mean, the murky middle is the absolute worst, especially when you plan on being good.

So that's a troubling place to be.

Yes, Noodle, I think...

Ideally, you get in the bottom five because the worst thing that can happen for Leafs is finish, what, 27th, 26th, and give up the sixth or seventh pick and watch Carson Carls go to whoever, to Boston, as a first-round pick.