Will Year Nine of the Matthews Era End Differently for the Maple Leafs?

Yep, it's been eight years already.
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[@drunkreapermatt]

year 9 of matthews era will be like every other year since 2019

[@CanucksVid]

The makeup of this team does not work. Baffling it has taken almost a decade, and still no changes.

[@clydeblair9622]

Not baffling with Shanahan in place. Gotta go.

[@ThatsBadTV]

@@clydeblair9622it says a lot that dubas was let go after he openly suggested blowing up the core

[@ShaunAnderson_Sauce]

Can we acknowledge that the reason why they have never had enough depth around the core is that they pay the core too much?. 61% of the cap on 5 players. No other team is formed with this blueprint. None are even within 10mil

[@Hollywoodin2001b]

To all Leaf fans who whine about the playoff format: - The Leafs were 5th in the East. In a 1 v 8 format, they would play 4th, who was Boston. - The Leafs were 10th in the NHL. In a 1 v 16 format, they would play 7th, who was Boston. Fact is, unless the Leafs improve they will be a slight underdog against any playoff first round opponent, regardless of the format.

[@Earthboundmike]

But the penguins did it (says every idiot who doesn't see the massive difference)

[@mitkoatanassov6350]

I know a SDP listener when I see one ☝️

[@ShaunAnderson_Sauce]

@@mitkoatanassov6350 I am definitely an SDPN listener. Diehard Bruins fan though. I just love hockey and half of me wants to see Steve suffer and the other half wants me to see the leafs win for him I just know he will be so fucking annoying if they do

[@ShaunAnderson_Sauce]

@@mitkoatanassov6350 also is Steve wrong? I think his point is so true no team can win like this.

[@MrC37]

Leafs are the ultimate wait and see team, nothing here makes me think they really improved

[@Earthboundmike]

If anything they've gotten worse.

[@victoryturnip1381]

​@Earthboundmike I would have to disagree. They're at least the same, if not a little better than last year. Losing Bertuzzi wasn't great but goaltending (assuming Woll can stay healthy) and defense did improve imo. Overall, were their moves good enough to facilitate a deep playoff run? Probably not. But thats not solely based on their off-season moves. Its because they have over 53% of the cap locked up in just 4 players. Bump that number up to nearly 62% if you include Morgan Rielly. 62% of the cap going to 5 players is insane. You can't win like that. That said, next off-season should be a fun one

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Toronto would never be able to beat teams like the Panthers or Rangers in the playoffs, barring injuries. I could see them getting to the second, maybe even the third round with some luck, but I don’t think so.

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

@@victoryturnip1381 I disagree. This is going to be a tough year. 3rd line wingers combined for 40 points last year. The D makes opposing teams' stars laugh with OEL being a has been and Liljegren, who is a fringe player on his best day and honestly belongs in the AHL. They desperately need Hakanpää to make their PK at the very least League average. They also need a healthy Woll exceeding the high expectations. If those things click, then we could have a return to tenth place, if not, no chance as far as I'm concerned. This is indeed 'the' off year, with money coming off the books next off season. I'm more interested in seeing if the Laughs will be competitive in 25-26.

[@incumbentvinyl9291]

@@oilersridersbluejays I couldn't agree more. They'd need a top five goalie to steal games to make an actual run. That's pretty much impossible with their cap situation. In theory Woll could be sitting on a horseshoe, but that's very unlikely. I think he is overrated.

[@theguyinthemiddle2919]

With reference to Maple Leafs, doing the same thing over & over again & expecting different results is the sign that something is very wrong with the management way of thinking.

[@lenaforsgren]

The influence of luck in hockey is big enough that expecting the same result with the exact same roster is weird (in my opinion). And since all teams in the league change a bit every season it’s even more strange to expect the same result 🙃

[@alesd2120]

"Maybe this is the year" is kind of Toronto's mantra for some time...

[@oilersridersbluejays]

Decades, in fact.

[@nicolasgendreau9277]

They are the Dallas Cowboys of the NHL

[@ianwhipple8842]

@@nicolasgendreau9277shoot they’re worse than that brother. More like the Raiders or Dolphins. 🐬

[@BijanTab]

As a Leafs fan, I think this should have been a 5 second video where you ask the question and then say "no."

[@randytrevor3807]

Legit lol

[@ianwhipple8842]

This made me laugh so hard. The year the leafs had the most fight in my opinion was when they took the eventual Eastern Conference Champion and previous back to back Stanley cup champion Tampa Bay team to game 7. If they won that game 7 I think they would’ve won the East. Colorado would’ve snuffed them but still…. That Tampa team they beat in the first round was so tired and injured. It was the team that lost in 7 to a Tampa Bay WAGON that I felt was the best team they’ve had in recent memory. I was so nervous for Tampa Bay in that game six and seven because Toronto had us dead to rights.

[@billverge7822]

until this team understands the "hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard" mantra, this will always be a good team, but never a champion.

[@clock1215]

As a newer hockey fan, your videos have been extremely helpful and interesting. Thanks for sharing your content with us!

[@chrisbelos2834]

leafs managment in 2034 : do we run it back?

[@adamn7777]

Someone will have just gotten there and will want to evaluate what's there and see how it does before making any changes

[@arseface2k934]

Matthews/Marner/Nylander will be in their mid-30s so I could honestly see this really happening lol

[@chrisbelos2834]

@@arseface2k934 leafs4life

[@mattrix4200]

Leafs Cap Manager: "But with 89% of our salary going to Matthews, Marner & Nylander, we can only afford these 2 metal buckets for our goalies....I say we go for it!!!"

[@chrisbelos2834]

@@mattrix4200 how about we sign more back-up goalies for 3millions each? we won a series 11 years ago with one of them

[@davidrmouck5608]

The Myth of Sisyphus comes to mind....

[@spleen8834]

One must imagine Dangle happy

[@adamn7777]

Except Sisyphus didn't push the rock up the hill because he thought it'd eventually get there he had to push the rock up the hill as a punishment for his hubris. He knew he'd never get the rock up the hill but was forced to do it anyways

[@davidrmouck5608]

@@adamn7777 Hence his eventual acceptance of the absurd.

[@arseface2k934]

​@@adamn7777"except"? that still sounds exactly like toronto

[@adamn7777]

@@arseface2k934 they seem to think that they'll be able to go the distance do the same thing that failed 8 times with minor differences

[@Tbiblaine23]

The fact it’s already been 9 years is crazy

[@tehbeernerd]

Dubas paid UFA rates for his three premiere RFAs, plus a premium for Tavares. You’re never going to get the necessary depth for a Cup run if you dedicate over half the cap to four guys.

[@mitchellskene8176]

In regards to Tavares, they didn't really pay a premium for him. At least two other teams offered the same, if not more, for his services. If my memory isn't playing tricks on me, The Islanders and Sharks offered more (San Jose in cash, New York in term).

[@tomwilson3969]

It's closer to 63% this year

[@tomwilson3969]

​@mitchellskene8176 just because another team was willing to pay more doesn't mean you didn't overpay.

[@mitchellskene8176]

@@tomwilson3969 it does, when one of those teams was willing to offer 8 years, instead of 7. Most of the time though, you're right.

[@tomwilson3969]

@mitchellskene8176 it wouldn't have been as big of a problem if Dubas wouldn't have handed out the contracts he did to Marner/Matthews/Nylander pretty much immediately after. Toronto didn't need Tavares at the time they signed him. They needed help on D. Which they still need. By not signing Tavares, Matthews probably would have got 10 over 8 years instead of these 4 and 5 year deals that don't ever allow the cap to catch up to his salary

[@scottt4545]

I’m the biggest leafs fan, but man how much more do we need to see of this core. They ain’t getting it done. There is also too many fingers in the cookie jar. There’s a boss for everything in the organization,

[@otto6702]

The Leafs management seems to be married to this core, despite them having one series win to their name in this whole era. Even the Caps teams that couldn't get over the hump before 2017-18 saw turnover, and they were consistently making it to the second round before they won it all.

[@TheBoyer19]

The core 4 sell tons of merch, probably 60-70% of the jerseys in the arena have one of there names on the back

[@otto6702]

@TheBoyer19 I mean that's true, but this seems to be beyond cynical business decisions. You can trade Marner and still sell merch and tickets. To me this is very clearly MLSE being piss scared to break up this core, despite a wealth of evidence this roster just isn't made to win. If they finally do win this year it'll be because of things that largely haven't happened for the better part of nine years.

[@GG-ng6zm]

@@otto6702 who they gonna get back for marner? Theyll get fleeced cuz of his cap hit and then you get the same team minus a 100 point two way guy.

[@Kyt2024]

For what it's worth regarding the goaltenders. Neither has proven to be a starter yet at this point in time, and maybe neither will, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect they each can get from 28 games to 40 games as a tandem. I also have to assume people have forgotten just how terrible Samsonov was for us last year... Beyond that, I'd follow up with neither Jarnkrok or Holmberg are likely to be top 9 forwards. And McCabe is a bonafide top 4 D imo, so maybe him over Liljegren eases some concerns. I think the Leafs have clearly gotten better on the backend in a few ways (Right shot/left shot balance, puck movement, hopefully production, tanev's ability to defend elite players). The D is just way more versatile I think. There's obviously question marks, and I don't think they are done as they've basically not even touched the forward group yet.

[@paulthompson8793]

Yeah that goalie tandem is a bit iffy , not sure if Woll can ever stay healthy at this point and unsure what stol is gonna bring, but at least the D core is looking better this year. Still not gonna help with all the offense drying up in the playoffs, but it's something...

[@Vis_Electra]

Status of the cup parade: Cancelled.

[@dennish.7708]

Cancelled … until the Leafs get their first win in the pre-season. Then it will be “Can this team go all the way?”

[@douglassun8456]

I don't know what to think about the Leafs because I don't follow them closely enough. But two general points come to mind: One is that luck plays an important role in playoff success because the sample size is so small, so minor fluctuations in stuff that's kind of random, like avoiding key injuries, can play an outsized role. And luck doesn't necessarily equalize when you think it should. I once had a friend who played poker professionally, and he once said something that really got me thinking: "When you're on a cold streak, it could end tomorrow. Or it could end the day after you die (i.e., it might never end)." But on the other hand, it's still true that playoff hockey is a different beast from the regular season and you could be built for success in one but not the other. The Kings won two Cups with teams that struggled to make the playoffs, but they were designed to win close-checking, physical playoff games.

[@jrotvtube]

This is a good point. And also, for all the people saying the Leafs choke in the playoffs -- you could argue they've been the better team in almost all the series they've played. In fact, I think the worst series the Leafs played is the one they won against the Lightning. Playoffs are random as fuck, especially when you consider potential injuries.

[@kyledavidson2867]

they are the Dallas Cowboys of the NHL

[@mercywilliams2698]

The core four lack the dynamic intense level of compete you see in teams that have won Cups in recent years. Elite players who actually are more followers than leaders. They follow through season to season with excellent results. In the postseason there is no one leading the charge.

[@skyhigh388]

Well, the reason they don't have the depth is obviously because they have too much money tied up in the core 4. So it IS about the core 4.

[@nathanspreitzer6738]

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result

[@PhatChin]

My guess is that Tavares will probably take an extended contract at a low AAV and subsequently join the operations side. Much like what Spezza did.

[@i.p.knightly149]

Core 4 at contract time: "Give us all the money." Core 4 at playoff time: "We need more quality depth behind us" And they blew the "hard division" excuse after losing to Columbus and Montreal.

[@sharkhaos_probably]

"Run it back" - Leafs management, 2019 - Leafs management, 2020 - Leafs management, 2021 - Leafs management, 2022 - Leafs management, 2023 - Leafs management, 2024

[@gocanuckurself1]

Asking if year NINE will be any different just shows how goddamn insane this situation really is……..

[@Numtalegau]

No. It will not.

[@joeynash4505]

THG questioning whether Knies can get over 20 goals a season in his career after getting 15 his rookie year is something I wouldn’t think I’d hear.

[@The_Room_2_Doggys_Revenge]

we need a Thomas Plekanec career video!

[@williamrallis83]

True Blue Toronto guy … really good analysis man

[@allghilliedup21]

The core 4 don't want to win a Cup. They want to make money.

[@gretzkey66]

Precisely

[@wihamaki]

You can't compare Apples to Oranges. Capfriendly is no longer with us, but what's the difference in net-income between say John Tavares that signed as a $11 million UFA and Steve Stamkos that signed as a $8.5 million UFA? The difference isn't that much. Apply the tax-rate for Ontario to the amount of the salary cap and then do it for Florida. What's the difference? >$11 million dollars. Ask the Florida Panthers to remove $11 million from their roster, where would they be? There's a reason teams like Florida, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Vegas are on top while Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, etc... haven't done anything during their highs or their lows. But who cares? If one of these Canadian teams wins the Cup, how does that grow the game? It doesn't. The reality is, all the NHL franchises are worth more, the Cap goes up, league revenue goes up, everything financially for the entire league goes up when American teams win and Canadian teams don't. If you play on a Canadian team, you'll profit more from losing than you would winning. You don't play in a high tax-rate area to win a Cup. You negotiate a fair deal based on the tax-rates of that area.

[@gretzkey66]

@@wihamaki what's your point

[@gretzkey66]

@wihamaki Look, the players shouldn't care about their net income. They should care about how many cups they win. Hockey has a salary cap that is not adjusted based on taxes by location and that's just as much a part of the game as what system they run on the powerplay.

[@gretzkey66]

@wihamaki Look, the players shouldn't care about their net income. They should care about how many cups they win. Hockey has a salary cap that is not adjusted based on taxes by location and that's just as much a part of the game as what system they run on the powerplay.

[@darrenshorsky2984]

why has this team still not made any real changes?? how has that clown Shanaplan not been fired yet?? anyone?

[@gdmyth1c935]

Pavelski officially announced his retirement

[@SaskTransfer]

Him not getting a cup is criminal

[@sirfrostysnow6913]

The only good thing Deboer has done in his career is insure Pavelski’s was wasted fuck the sharks y’all are a poverty franchise

[@father042]

@@sirfrostysnow6913 Seethe

[@soundgrips]

@@sirfrostysnow6913 Sharks suck right now but have been far from a poverty franchise especially when Pavelski was there.

[@damonmusha6504]

@@soundgripsthe guy either hasn’t followed hockey or he’s simply a troll. Probably both.

[@williamford9564]

No this is not the year the Leafs win the Cup.

[@pinchgutter]

Huge fan Shannon, thanks for repping my favourite team. I know it can be hard to cover them sometimes so thank you

[@zachroberts1988]

Just for Steve Dangle's health i hope the leafs at least make the conference finals... however i dont feel confident in them at all to do so...

[@FC-tq1yj]

Dangle isn't a Leafs fan... I'm an Oilers fan and there is absolutely no way I'm ever cheering for the Flames... no self-respecting true Oilers fan would ever cheer for Calgary to win the Cup. Dangle went all-in cheering for the Habs... all-in... he's no Leafs fan.

[@zachroberts1988]

@@FC-tq1yj touch grass dude...

[@jaigill6616]

@@FC-tq1yj really isnt that serious bro calm down

[@paulthompson8793]

They're in a tough conference/division to be fair, no free trips to the finals in the east

[@damathor9493]

Steve Dangle used to be a Leafs fan, but because of his channel, he's kinda stuck being committed to them. However, real question here: What comes first? Leafs winning the cup or Steve Dangle getting a stroke from watching the Leafs lose on the first round again? :D

[@nickelliott1174]

The Chief is going to upset a couple of their guys who don't backcheck.

[@BlackbeanCatVC15]

They have to change this clubs culture and identity. Part of the reason they think the way they do is the culture. They never valued character, secondary players. It's been like that since Fletcher, who knew these things. This is mind boggling. They don't draft enough, they dont keep who they do draft, have no patience, has terrible media, and its all a recipe for losing.

[@aaronquiambao8134]

Regular season has never been an issue in this era. It’s playoff performance

[@agent00puffball]

The Core 4 hasn't worked, and until the Leafs address that it will be much of the same. It is crazy to me that they haven't broken it up yet.

[@DanRaidersWarriorsSharksGiants]

It is not the core as much as their cap. You cant just overpay everyone you really want.

[@steverobinson8771]

Just wanna say, I love your analysis - I've subscribed 😀

[@gregbayers7214]

I would really like to see them go to at minimum Conference finals but don't know .. what I do know is if they move Marner they become a much worse team

[@davidmollenhauer7580]

Too expen$ive. Not a playoff performer.

[@Nathanielhiggerson66]

The cap relief alone makes the team better. you need depth, they have none

[@paulthompson8793]

Become a worse reg season team? perhaps, really depends on what they would get for him + the free salary, playoffs Marner is usually a ghost out there offensively which is why he catches so much heat.

[@gregbayers7214]

@@paulthompson8793 he is actually the top points per game played in playoffs since he started with the team…

[@noorkidwai]

@@gregbayers7214he’s never been a difference maker in the playoffs. We watched him for years. He gets the yips and constantly loses the puck and makes the worst giveaways. This year was especially bad.

[@jeffreym.8957]

Everyone and their dog gets a NMC from the Leafs - even Kamof! 😂

[@oldhab7890]

They were constructed for the regular season by a rookie GM who not only signed them to expensive contracts and gave them NMCs. The Leafs are a team with only 3rd pairing defencemen so the playoffs will always be too difficult for them. I think Tavares is enough of a team player that he will spend most of the year on LTIR to free up cap space. If the Leafs' management realizes you must win 2 goal playoff games and get a couple decent defencemen they will have a better chance. (Also a fresh Tavares at playoff time would be more effective.)

[@tomwilson3969]

Why would Tavares fake an injury to sit on LTIR all year when it's his contract year!? By doing that he essentially guarantees himself a close to league min contract for the next year cause teams would be worried about his age and health.

[@ianwhipple8842]

@@tomwilson3969yeah his take is an obvious leaf fan cope. lol LTIR on a fucking contract year and you’re the team’s Captain. 😂.

[@wojowestcoast]

their problem in the playoffs isn’t their defence. their scoring just disappears. happens every year

[@justbleedprod.9414]

Pretty crazy that none of their star players on a team friendly deal considering they have shown the inability to produce when it matters most. Same old story for the Leafs. No real change

[@dnice4145]

The core 4 is the problem, they collectively are none factor in the playoffs

[@deltagolavista1]

As a Senators fan, I despise the Leafs, but running it back this year does make some sense. They have a new coach who won't put up with prima donna whining and will either get more out of their top players... or won't. If they don't, they just have to let Marner and Tavares walk and they have $22M next year + the $2M from McCabe to restructure the team around how Craig Berbube (not Matthews) wants to run the team.

[@paulthompson8793]

Exactly, not a whole lot they can really do this year in terms of moving on from MM or JT, just gotta eat it and do what you can until next year. NMC trades always turn out bad for the seller, would rather they don't get a horrible contract back just for the sake of moving on from Marner, and lets be real nobody touching JT lol.

[@wihamaki]

Think a lot of this cap crunch situation disappears with Tavares gone. Since Marner signed his last contract, he's 5th in points/60 in the NHL. (5-on-5) Think he gets resigned somewhere between Matthews and Nylander which will be around an extra $1 million. Tavares' production in the playoffs was horrible, despite him stepping up physically. He's going to have to sweet-heart deal in order to stay, especially with better playoff warriors potentially being available.

[@nickholmes5610]

Plekanec….Thats a name I haven’t heart for a long…long time

[@gordonmacdowell8117]

Paying all that money for the Big Four means that they can't afford to build their team until the trade deadline every season, when other teams are adding to teams they built in the offseason. They've tried to do more roster building the last two offseasons (this one and the last one), but struggles with the salary cap keep them from strengthening their depth, blueline, and address their goaltending woes. They go into every playoff series with the worst blueline and the worst goaltending, in a division that has strong defence and goaltending at the upper end.

[@andrewburney8075]

This year they are kind of tied up with the last year of the tavares deal, next year they can change things up more. Signing tavares and trading kadri was the fatal mistake that locked them in to this path

[@adrianeckert6529]

Poor Steve! Albert Einstein said something about insanity. Doing this again is insanity.

[@Vladiator01]

Management is to blame for over paying the core. The Leafs will never will the cup with this roster

[@Marixa1979]

They're overpaid because they can't perform up to the required level in the important games. If their core players had numbers like the Oilers stars in the playoffs, nobody would be talking about them being overpaid, and the Leafs would have made it out of the first round more than the 1 time they did.

[@jefjon423]

Probably not, but it would be nice to see at least something

[@dustenanderson8009]

I agree they need a 3rd line that can score. Here's my suggestion for it. Robertson, Minten, Marner. Defensively sound with the chance to put the puck in the net. Roll 3 lines and mix in the 4th line every so often

[@Thunderbirds101]

One playoff series win in all those years. Every year, the same thing: look great in the regular season, implode in the playoffs.

[@elwizschold]

If you combine the goalies' records you get 28-18-3. So basically slightly fewer decisions than/around a starting goalie. Will be interesting to see how they manage this season.

[@the6ig6adwolf]

That question can be answered in one word: not a damn chance.

[@kathyf123]

The last time the Leafs won the Cup, The Tet Offensive hadn't even happened yet.

[@bakermartin8089]

Marner throwing the puck over the glass against the habs, says it all

[@jimlangdon1947]

You can’t ignore the Core 4 & expect a different Leaf playoff outcome. That is impossible. 😀

[@ryans413]

Nope not until they change management

[@frogsalad5355]

All I can tell from my lack of hope for the future is it ain't looking to good.

[@marinanguish9928]

I do think they have improved the defence, so I'd imagine they are in the upper half of the league this year, and I don't think they'll be a wildcard, but we will see

[@kellismith4329]

Matthews will become one of those surprises in a different uniform

[@davidfitzpatrick6535]

Also I feel like for the leafs it would actually be a good thing to fall out of the top 3 in the division and get a wc spot and play the metro instead of their own division. In all honesty I just want to see a different opponent then Boston Florida every freaking year.

[@vipeholmskolan6052]

I think 25-26 has a better chance to be the year.

[@schnucksergio5808]

no.

[@Lacoste9277]

This has always been a issue with Toronto even in the past. They go get old big name players who arent in their prime anymore and hope for a deep run. It's worked twice but other then that it hasn't been working. They should never have signed JT. They should have stuck with Nylander, Marner and Matthews, then used that 11 mil for JT and got two decent defencemen to help Riley out. Morgan Riley hasnt really had any help on the blue line. But now you have all your cap locked up in 4 players who are wingers and no depth on D or even a solid goaltender.

[@goflames6706]

Tree is doing his thing

[@lamb-tunafish1923]

Hey brobro can you do a Red Wings preview some time? That'd be awfully swell of ya.

[@geographyinaction7814]

Knies will end up being a massive player. He won't be another Clark, nobody can, but he will be tough, high scoring, and I see a future captain.

[@michaelrolland128]

A hard pill to swallow for us leafs fans, but you couldn’t be more right. There needs to be a major change in the roster and the culture

[@BlackbeanCatVC15]

Sorta like when Sundin got Mogilny. The press loved these guys. Remember that? Nothing has changed in that sense. A smoke and mirror show that will never lose the market.

[@damonmusha6504]

Are the Toronto Maple Leafs the Dallas Cowboys of the NHL or are the Dallas Cowboys the Toronto Maple Leafs the NFL???

[@zacksimpkins2311]

cap situation is worse for us this year then any other in this era, with Matthews and nylanders new contracts and Tavares and Marner still on the books. We won't be great this year but can hopefully retool for next.

[@BananaLoaf77]

They desperately need a shakeup. I think if they can wait out Tavares’s contract, see if Marner will take less than 10 a season (if not, trade at deadline), and utilize the ever-increasing cap, they can be a true contender in about 3-5 years time, but that core is not currently designed for success.

[@kurtwpg]

Good thing offer sheets don't exist or Robertson would be gone already with little compensation.

[@cheddarandsourcream]

They could maybe win a round or two but that’s a maybe. Their blue line seems better but their depth upfront leaves a lot to be desired. As is the case every single year, it will come down to the offence needing to step up in the post season but we have a pretty long track record now of it shrivelling up. I think they really messed up not trading Marner before his no move kicked in. I firmly believe the theory that Dubas was fired because he wanted to move him before the headache that is currently happening.

[@christopherrego8706]

Ironic thing about Robertson is that the trade request comes because of a lack of playing time; although he’s had some injuries, the Leafs are gonna need some depth scoring for the second and third line right where he’ll slot in as well as PP time. He could have a career year if he makes the right choice and signs.

[@christopherrego8706]

Also no way I’m bringing Tavares back at 5.5 million guy is slow as hell. Money better spent elsewhere.

[@wheelsofmercury]

I live in an area where there are a lot of Leafs fans, and for the last several years I used to make fun of how almost every single year the Leafs would bow out every single first round in game seven, but after watching them collapsed to Boston once again this year in the playoffs, I’m just sad. I’m sad for all of the fan that live around my area that have to suffer through season after season of this very poorly managed hockey team that obviously overpaid their core players thanks to the former general manager that is now wreaking havoc on my team (the Pittsburgh Penguins). At this point, I am convinced that the Toronto Maple Leafs are cursed. You could sign Hasek out of retirement and back between the pipes and they could *still* find a way to bow out of the first round of the NHL playoffs. It’s honestly incredible how consistent they are at disappointing their fans.

[@oilersridersbluejays]

My sympathies.

[@Flaris]

Will anything change? Nope. The core is the core. All of Marner’s points and regular season accolades will mean nothing in the playoffs. Can’t have more depth scoring if they can’t afford depth.

[@User-12133]

The problem is not with the core players, it’s the money they’re getting. Dubas handcuffed this team and they’ve paid for it through the rest of the lineup

[@christhornycroft3686]

The Leafs remind me of the Canucks in the early-mid 2000s but with more regular season success. Good top end talent, but depth will always be an issue and as a result, getting over the hump in the playoffs.

[@timlee1794]

History will repeat.

[@thewavepilots]

Still not good enough. Defense has cracks. Lacks scoring depth on 2nd, 3rd. Marner needs to be moved for a package

[@tomwilson3969]

That package would be very small since he has a full no move clause and gets to choose where he goes. That team Marner chooses doesn't have to trade for him, so they will offer half of what he's worth and say take it or leave it! Unfortunately, Marner is probably just going to walk in free agency. Why should he do this team or fanbase any favors?

[@thewavepilots]

@@tomwilson3969 that’s true. The no movement clause definitely causes some issues

[@josefmacleod]

It all hangs on the management of this team finding a way to get that "Core 4" cap hit down by a significant margin and building depth and defensive acumen into the rest of the lineup. Some kind of trade seems the only option. Hopefully by the trade deadline they make a move that makes us all go "Whoa... they actually might have something here!" We shall see.. I'm not holding my breathe.

[@markastoforoff7838]

I'm jaded after 50 years of watching and following the Leafs. I don't think they will ever win in my lifetime.

[@shawn4white]

Running it back babyyyyy first round game 7 exit again let’s gooooooooo

[@Peksisarvinen]

These videos always give me a feeling of deja vu. Can they improve? Yes they can. Are they going to? Probably not, since their problems are still the exact same problems they've had for as long as they've had the core 4. They won't improve, because they haven't done anything to improve. Their insistence on keeping the core 4 together is absolutely killing them, and it was the same thing last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and the year before that...

[@Bowman1999]

Berube will push these guys so it will be interesting to see how the core reacts. I see trades coming...

[@lukewoodworth2101]

Another gigantic issue is they have no really good young players on elc do balance out spending so much on 4 forwards. Knies will be good cowan is likely another year away from being a fulltime nhler.

[@mirkokraovac9068]

This is def the year. This team is barely a playoff team. Watch them win it all when least expected ))

[@garylawrence1226]

What about moving Marner to 2nd line centre drop Tavares to 3rd line centre they should have enough wingers to fill out 3 lines especially with keeping Robinson and bringing up minten or Cowan

[@xrsroofingsolutionscanada2151]

Personally I don't think the Leafs can do any proper retool until Tavares is making 5m as a winger, Marner is resigned and Nylander is traded for a haul.

[@robertaxelrad464]

The reason the Hockey Hall of Fame is in Toronto - - - So the Maple Leafs can see the Stanley Cup any time they want!!!

[@quag311]

Groundhog Day meme or GTA train meme?

[@atpyro7920]

Groundhog Day but with one blip where it looks like they got out of the loop but just wake up in it again

[@reckingball]

Matthews should have no problem reaching 60+ goals again this season. His shoots first and pass rarely style is conducive to a high goal production.

[@jameshart490]

I expect to see fewer goals against, the goaltending is inexperienced and therefore questionable but the defensemen seem stronger.

[@HuatulcoGuy]

When you look at the level of play that Edmonton and Florida are capable of, it is clear that Toronto just is not there.