When the Toronto Maple Leafs lost game seven to the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the NHL playoffs last week, it was a cruel twist of fate that no Leafs fan found surprising. It continued the long legacy of early postseason failures for a team that hasn’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967.
Toronto has only made the postseason 10 times in the last 20 seasons. When they do make it, they rarely make it out of the first round—the last time they did so was in the 2003-04 season. Since 2018, the Leafs are now 0-7 in games with a chance to eliminate their opponent. They are 0-8 in those games since 2013. The Leafs have now been bested in the first round of the playoffs six consecutive times. The curse continues.
For the majority of these series, the Leafs have had no shortage of talent on their roster and no shortage of offensive firepower. However, in past years, their lack of depth on the defensive side of the puck and their inconsistent goaltending let them down.
This year, after dominating the regular season and winning their first division title in 21 years, they looked good going into the playoffs. Despite losing their captain John Tavares to a horrific injury in game one of the first round against the Canadiens, the Maple Leafs battled back to win three consecutive games and take a 3-1 series lead. It looked like Toronto would finally exorcise their first-round demons.
Then the Leafs’ lack of killer instinct showed. The Canadiens took advantage of it in the next three games and knocked Toronto out of the playoffs.
“It is hard to see a future where the current Leafs’ core remains the same.”
As good as the Leafs are offensively, their star players faltered. In the entire series, superstars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner combined for only one goal. They didn’t produce like they were expected to.
Make no mistake, the Leafs have a lot of offensive talent. In the regular season, they were the fourth-best team offensively in the NHL, averaging 3.31 goals per game and 31.36 shots per game. Matthews is a surefire candidate for the Rocket Richard Trophy, leading the league with 41 goals. The Leafs also have Marner, John Tavares, Nick Foligno, Joe Thorton, Alex Galchenyuk, William Nylander and Wayne Simmonds on their team. Toronto can get scoring from practically anyone.
However, playoffs are a different beast than the regular season. The Maple Leafs couldn’t get enough offensive production from their stars when it mattered and thus lost against Montreal.
Final pic.twitter.com/diqaMVJNOa
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 1, 2021
Unlike past years, the problem certainly wasn’t Toronto’s defense. Last season, the Leafs had the sixth-worst defense in the NHL, giving up an average of 3.17 goals per game and 31.90 shots against per game. This season was much improved. In the regular season, Toronto had the seventh-best defense in the NHL, giving up 2.64 goals per game and 27.82 shots per game.
The most important aspect of every great team is a good goalie. Both Frederick Andersen and Jack Campbell were strong this season, with Campbell setting an NHL record by winning 11 consecutive games as a starter. In the Montreal series, Campbell played well in net. Goaltending is not to blame for their series loss.
While that strong defensive performance continued into the playoffs—the Leafs only gave up an average of two goals per game—their lack of offensive production from their superstars is what hurt them. It’s ironic that in past series, it was the defense that blew leads the offense created.
It is hard to see a future where the current Leafs’ core remains the same. What happens this offseason is yet to be revealed, but many changes are certain to be made. Aside from Matthews, Marner, Nylander and perhaps Tavares, no one on offense is safe from being traded or released in free agency. On defense, their core will remain similar to what it is now, but there will be changes, too.
This offseason, expect Toronto management to look for young players to strengthen their blue line and score in the clutch when they need it most, because that’s what they lacked in the playoffs. They will likely keep Campbell in net, while Andersen, as a free agent, may have seen his last days in a Leafs’ uniform.
It is not the fault of head coach Sheldon Keefe or general manager Kyle Dubas that their superstars and normally-dynamic offense could not score in this series. The Leafs have blown countless playoff leads with other coaches and general managers—what difference does it make? However, don’t be surprised if either is let go of in the offseason. What is certain, is several changes will be made in the offseason after another frustratingly-short playoff run.
Featured image by Scott Gummerson via Unsplash.
