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While division rivals Tampa Bay had last season sewn-up pretty much by November, there was an interesting battle to see which other Canadian teams (that weren’t Ottawa) would make the playoffs. In the end Toronto finished just four points ahead of Montreal, but those four points were enough to secure the Leafs the 3rd playoff spot in the Atlantic, while the Habs finished just outside of the wildcard places. Notable Players In: Cody Ceci, Ben Harpur, Tyson Barrie, Alexander Kerfoot Embed from Getty Images Notable Players Out: Jake Gardiner, Patrick Marleau, Ron Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Brown, Nazem Kadri, Calle Rosen First Key Game: MontrealRead More →

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Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander has changed his number from 29 to 88. A move that has angered a lot of the usually reserved #Leafstwitter crowd: It is an embarrassment. # 88 is affiliated with one N.H.L. Player – Eric Lindros, who wore it for the Leafs during 2 Seasons. I’d be surprised if Brendan Shanahan (a good friend of Eric) would allow Nylander to wear # 88. — Peter Jackson (@RealPistolPete7) July 15, 2019 This became such a story that Eric Lindros was trending in Canada. Fortunately WAMJNA still has fans in Toronto, and a fair few of them came to his defence,Read More →

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So, your favorite team has played their first game. You are most likely thrilled that your team exceeded expectations or trying to convince yourself that it’s not a rebuilding season. But does it actually matter? Is one game out of 82 any more valuable than another? Let’s look at what the numbers tell us. Looking back at the last two seasons, let’s start by looking at what winning your first game means. When we look at the 2016-17 and the 2017-18 seasons, 32 teams made the playoffs. Of those teams, 63% of them won their first game, as the table below shows. Won their firstRead More →

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Max Domi‘s ‘gutless’ punch on Aaron Ekblad in a preseason game can only mean one thing; fall will soon be here and we can all rejoice at the impending return of the NHL. Here at 4th Line Towers we can’t wait to watch some proper hockey again. This year we’re approaching our previews in a different way; the word count for each team’s preview has been dictated by the number of points that team scored last season. To further mix things up, we’ve divvied up the teams between our writers. Let the Atlantic division preview begin! Our other previews can be found here: Metropolitan Division 2018/19Read More →

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Before the puck even drops for the regular season, let’s make crazy predictions. Who will win the 2018-2019 Stanley Cup? Which NHL team will surprise you? And which team will let you down? The Surprise: St. Louis Blues With newly acquired forwards like Tyler Bozak (11G, 32A), Patrick Maroon (17G, 26A) and Ryan O’Reilly (24G, 37A) the St Louis Blues have added grit and point producers this off season. These new acquisitions should bring a big jump to the team who respectfully finished fifth in the extremely tough Central division. Ryan O’Reilly might be the most exciting piece the Blues have added, but he isRead More →

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NHL free agency is upon us and that means that we finally found out that JOHN TAVARES WENT TO JOEL’S TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS! Resident New York Islanders fan ,Matt from Reasons Are Several, joins us to get both sides of the story, looking at Tavares coming and going. Other news of the week includes, but is not limited to: James van Riemsdyk signing with the Philadelphia Flyers The St. Louis Blues bringing in Tyler Bozak, David Perron and Ryan O’Reilly Carl’s Colorado Avalanche adding Ian Cole and Matt Calvert The Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings making the most confusing deals of the day RyanRead More →

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The NHL deadline is fast approaching, and teams are trying to figure out whether they are buyers, sellers, or just staying put. Deadlines can help a team out and move them further ahead in rebuilds then ever before planned. They can also really cost teams that go all in, and don’t end up winning it all. I am here today to share my argument on why the Leafs shouldn’t buy this deadline. Stance Now, before I get into it I should say my official stance on the issue. While I don’t think the Leafs should buy, I also don’t think they should sell either. YouRead More →

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With all the hype that swallows up the NHL’s Entry Draft, it’s easy to forget the player who wasn’t quite good enough, in the scouts’ eyes at least, to be chosen first overall. This short series will be looking that the other guy; the fella who went second. We’ve already looked at Eric Staal, Tom Lysiak, Jason Spezza, Dave Babych, Trevor Linden, Kirk Muller, Brad Park, Daniel Sedin, Brian Bellows and Marcel Dionne, and as there’re just 2 days to go until Christmas, here’s #2 in the 4th Line Podcast’s top 12 2nd Overall Picks. All stats as of the end of 2016/17. #2 Patrick Marleau, C Embed from Getty Images Drafted 1997,Read More →

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As the playoffs rumble on Joel, Joe and Mike are here to take a look at which players teams should protect from the upcoming Las Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft. Today, we’re looking at the Eastern Conference teams eliminated in round one of the playoffs. Click here and here to read about the teams that couldn’t even make it that far. While the Western conference surprised with which teams were knocked out, the east has been somewhat less exciting. Pittsburgh, Washington, Ottawa and New York all advanced while the Boston, Montreal, Toronto and Columbus all exited. Those latter four teams are the four we’ll be looking at, saving Joel’sRead More →

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When he first took over the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015, Mike Babcock seemed to have an impossible task on his hands. The Leafs were a team going nowhere fast. Despite the continually packed ACC each week, there seemed to be an apathy in the air. Previously, Babcock had turned Detroit into a well-oiled playoff machine and many questioned his logic taking this job. After Saturday’s dramatic 5-3 win over Pittsburgh, this franchise enters the postseason for the first time in nearly 5 years. Getting to this point was no easy task. Babcock’s record with the Maple Leafs this season was a solid 40-27-15 whichRead More →