The Toronto Maple Leafs, yet again, are the talk of the hockey world with the team being on the brink of elimination. The postseason hasn’t been friendly towards the Leafs as the team only has one series win throughout the last 10 seasons. In recent years, the Leafs have also experienced heartbreaking losses such as their prominent 3-1 series blow versus the Montreal Canadiens in 2021.
A major talking point surrounding the Leafs has been their “core four” consisting of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares. It’s simply inexcusable for a team with this much forward talent to lose the way they’ve been losing in the postseason. They’re also getting paid huge money as all four players get paid more than $10 million each.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, yet again, are the talk of the hockey world with the team being on the brink of elimination. The postseason hasn’t been friendly towards the Leafs as the team only has one series win throughout the last 10 seasons. In recent years, the Leafs have also experienced heartbreaking losses such as their prominent 3-1 series blow versus the Montreal Canadiens in 2021.
A major talking point surrounding the Leafs has been their “core four” consisting of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares. It’s simply inexcusable for a team with this much forward talent to lose the way they’ve been losing in the postseason. They’re also getting paid huge money as all four players get paid more than $10 million each.
It’s the same cycle every season. The Leafs are expected to finally make it over the hump to go on a deep playoff run, only to come short and anger the fanbase even more. The Leafs now find themselves down 3-1 in a series against the Boston Bruins, a team that has had their number in the postseason. The cycle is repeating itself once again and according to one insider, big changes may be on the way if the Leafs don’t smarten up.
Maple Leafs’ Core in for Changes if Team Doesn’t Rebound
During the most recent 32 Thoughts: The Podcast episode, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman addressed a point many hockey fans wonder about. He suggests that if the Leafs do not come back from this 3-1 series deficit, the core four’s days in Toronto likely will come to an end. A major shake-up will likely occur as a result of the years of disappointment where players simply didn’t step up when it mattered.
Friedman states:
“This is the end for this group if they don’t pull of the big comeback here. You always bet on talent and assume they’re gonna figure it out, I don’t think you can do that here anymore. You can only give so many votes of confidence to the same group”.
Putting it bluntly, this is the last chance these players have to prove that they can win together. It’s not unlikely the Leafs force a Game 7, but the odds aren’t in their favor. It’s clear that both the team and their fans have potentially reached their breaking point and the patience is no longer there.
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