Last Updated on: 10th May 2024, 03:32 pm
Speaking of bloopers, how about them Leafs?
Yeah, low blow. One that I’m not sure how much they deserve considering that Auston Mathews had one of the best years a Leaf has ever had and they made the playoffs yet again. But then they did what they always seem to do, forget that they’re any good and peace out in the first round without much fuss. Beyond William Nylander who missed the first three games but would still have had no competition for series MVP if Joe Woll Didn’t exist, it’s a miracle that they made it all the way to game seven. I had them going out in six and thought I’d over estimated them by game five, for the record.
It’s a familiar pattern, and it’s getting old. And much as I hate to see a coach get fired when he’s got a record like Sheldon Keefe does (212-97-40), it’s probably time and I’m not going to argue against it this year like I have before. The playoffs are a problem, and when you’ve managed to win just one series in six tries, it’s pretty clear something isn’t working.
And speaking of things not working, I think it’s time to move on from this core four business. It’s gone about as far as it can go. I love that Marner and Tavares are Leafs and I genuinely hate it when my favourite teams trade away top shelf players while swearing up and down that they’re trying to win, but with both of those guys coming into contract years, if moves can be made, make them before either of them potentially walks for nothing next summer. Both of them (especially Marner), should net you a pretty big return.
The Leafs aren’t a team in need of a full rebuild, I don’t think. But they’re absolutely in need of some work. And if that means taking a couple of steps back to figure things out, that’s ok.