Former Sens defenseman throws some serious shade at the Toronto Maple Leafs in presumptive tweet

The Battle of Ontario, which features the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs, has long been one of the league's greatest rivalries, despite some skill disparity over the years as the two clubs have ebbed and flowed throughout numerous rebuilding stages. While the Leafs, who currently sit atop both the North Division and the league, currently hold the advantage of being the more complete team, a Sens alumni has made a very bold statement regarding Ottawa's trajectory.

Former Sens defenseman Marc Methot took to Twitter on Tuesday to declare a strong appreciation for the state of the Senators and the job that GM Pierre Dorion has done to set them up for the future, while also throwing some shade at the Leafs in the process.

"Ottawa will have a much better team than Toronto in two to three years," said Methot in a tweet on Tuesday evening. "Won't even be close."

While the Sens do have some solid young pieces in the pipeline in Thomas Chabot, Tim Stützle, Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Jake Sanderson, Erik Brannstrom and Drake Batherson, it is far too early to make any sort of assumption that:

1) Each of these players will pan out as projected and develop into legitimate NHL talents

And

2) The Leafs will not improve year-over-year with their relatively young core, which includes the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander.

Now, the Leafs are going to have some very difficult decisions coming up with Zach Hyman and Frederik Andersen on expiring contracts and Morgan Rielly just one year away from potentially becoming a UFA, but the Leafs are also in the process of grooming the next crop of future NHL stars in Timothy Liljegren, who they have taken the "slow cook" approach with, Rasmus Sandin, who has already accumulated 29 games of NHL experience and Nick Robertson, who has all the tools to become a future 30-goal scorer in the NHL.

Obviously for Toronto, the biggest question mark is in the crease. If Frederik Andersen does decide to test the open market, the Leafs likely won't have the cap space required to replace him or bring in a tangible upgrade.

The current goaltending situation in Ottawa does not look much better at the either, as Matt Murray and Marcus Hogberg are among the worst tandems in the NHL, with Murray still having 3 more seasons at $6.25M per season after this one.

The good news for Ottawa is that Joey Daccord, the Sens' 7th-round pick (199th overall) in 2015, has looked like a capable NHL netminder in 4 appearances for Ottawa this season, putting up a .913 SV% and a 2.71 GAA over that span. A small sample size for sure, but encouraging early results nonetheless.

This isn't exactly comparing apples to apples at this point, given the fact that we are not currently in an "all things even" situation in terms of Toronto having completed a top-to-bottom rebuild, while Ottawa is just getting started. I suppose we'll have to just wait and see how things develop. Methot certainly does seem sure of himself though..

MUST READ

3 hours ago  |  By TJ Tucker Columbus Blue Jackets Head Coach Blasts Officials After Loss to the Montreal Canadiens Last Night

15 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Several Teams Likely No Longer Pursuing Chris Kreider After Stunning Statement From Him in New Interview

18 hours ago  |  By Daniel Lucente Negotiations Reportedly Underway With the NFL's Washington Commanders for a Return to Controversial Logo

19 hours ago  |  By Daniel Lucente St. Louis NHL Hopeful Colin Brown Tragically Passes Away at 16 After Succumbing to Injuries From Violent Crime

20 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Identities of the Men Who Attacked Paul Bissonnette Exposed: More Disgusting Crimes Come to Light

23 hours ago  |  By Tom Banks Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks Make Trade Involving Young Forward

Nov 27  |  By TJ Tucker Robin Lehner Dropped by His Bankruptcy Lawyers: Has Not Been Heard From in Several Months

Nov 27  |  By Julien Trekker Montreal Canadiens' Patrik Laine Suffers Loss of Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in Disaster Condo Purchase

MORE STORIES