Skipping the Olympics is devastating for NHL players and hockey fans everywhere, but it could hurt the Toronto Maple Leafs in more ways than one.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a tremendous start, which meant many of their players were going to get selected to their respective Olympic roster. Having the opportunity to represent your country in the biggest and best competition in the world is an amazing honor, and that opportunity could have really helped this team.
Prior to the players skipping the Olympics, there was plenty of debate around this topic.