The Toronto Maple Leafs must win this playoff series, there is no other option.
My entire Leafs fandom life, I have known nothing but postseason heartbreak. In 2004, the last time the Battle of Ontario happened, I was six and had just recently arrived in Canada. I have no memories of what must have been an exhilarating victory.
The 2013 loss still haunts me. I’ve written about this before, but it was years until I could bring myself to actually watch the Marchand goal, as I didn’t see it live. As the Bruins were hemming the Leafs in, I got off the couch and walked out of the room. I heard them score on the TV behind me and went upstairs and cried myself to sleep.
What then followed was nearly a decade of pathetic losses, the most embarrassing of which was almost certainly the 2021 loss to the Canadiens. The brief elation we felt after beating the Lightning in 2023 was followed up with an awful showing against the Panthers, and once again, an early offseason.
Expectations are always high for this Leafs team, rightfully so, and every year they fail to meet them in truly spectacular ways. This is their last chance.
The REAL last chance
Firstly, on a personal note, I have way too many friends who are Sens fans, and I cannot afford for the Leafs to lose. For Ottawa fans, this feels like playing with the house’s money. They are the underdogs, and a loss to the Atlantic Division winners wouldn’t exactly be shocking. A win, however, would be monumental. The Leafs must not lose this playoff series.
For the Leafs, this is the first time in the Matthews era that they have won the division (if we discount the COVID season). They have the best matchup since the Montreal series, and according to every oddsmaker and statistician, they are the clear favourites.
Two years ago, after losing in five to Florida in embarrassing fashion, everyone expected change. Reportedly, Kyle Dubas was interested in making large-scale moves, including trading away members of the “Core Four”. As I wrote in a piece earlier this season:
“We’ve known all along what the problem is, we’ve known it ever since Kyle Dubas’ infamous ‘We can, and we will,’ comment. The Toronto Maple Leafs are too top-heavy. The “Core Four” plan demonstrably does not work, and is further evidenced by the fact that the only remaining front office executive is Brendan Shanahan, who is almost certainly getting fired after the inevitable first or second round exit.”
The Leafs have a chance to prove me wrong. I desperately hope they do.
Worthy changes?
Kyle Dubas was fired two offseasons ago. Sheldon Keefe was also just let go. Brad Treliving was brought in to tinker around the edges of this Leafs team as Brendan Shanahan seems incapable of admitting that perhaps his mysterious “Shanaplan” doesn’t work. Craig Berube was hired to instill a more “playoff-like” structure and a focus on defence. Maybe he has. The Leafs certainly are playing differently than under Keefe, but as of yesterday, the regular season no longer matters.
What happens if we lose? Well, first of all, I want the news that Brendan Shanahan is fired to come down before the handshake line even starts. Next, Marner probably walks in free agency, and who could blame him? You definitely don’t re-sign Tavares, and frankly, I would want the number one draft pick in the 2026 draft. If we lose, blow the team up. They will have proven, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are incapable of winning.
Maybe I’m too jaded, too cynical, and honestly probably traumatized. But I cannot look at this series with anything but dread. Because winning this series is the bare minimum. Frankly, I’ll probably write a similar piece even if we win, and then go on to lose in the second round. The expectation for this team is to compete for the Stanley Cup, they are the fourth-best team in the league. Therefore, the bar is the Conference Finals. But in order to get there, they have to get through the Ottawa Senators. They must win this series. Please.
Go Leafs Go.
