TORONTO (May 15) — Here’s what we know, for certain, about the Toronto Maple Leafs: Unless they triumph at Florida on Friday night, Brendan Shanahan and Mitch Marner will have enjoyed their final hours in blue and white.
Auston Matthews? Not so fast.
The Shanahan Leafs — comically, at the moment — hitched their wagon to Matthews for four seasons with the most–lucrative contract in the National Hockey League. Ripped the ‘C’ off the jersey of local lad John Tavares and bestowed it upon the “leader in waiting”. There were options… and more ominous warnings with Matthews than any “star” player in franchise history. Strongly encouraged by a swath of myopic media wags, the Leaf braintrust ignored all the signs. Took the easiest route, as usual, and committed to a figure that will sell plenty of merchandise for the team, but will never — can never — lead the club anywhere after the regular season. It’s not in his DNA; he has no concept of elevating effort and performance to required levels for the playoffs. Barring a miraculous turnaround, this will be looked upon as the biggest blunder in the 108–year history of the hockey club. Why it’s been allowed to fester for nine years, amid such repetitive and monotonous affirmation each spring, is a question only the tall foreheads at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment can address. As mentioned here a thousand times, Matthews should have been on the block after the Montreal playoff travesty in 2021, then finished as a Leaf after failing to score during the five–game demolition by the Panthers two years later. Instead, the near–sighted MLSE executive couldn’t wait to lock him up through his prime biological years. And, are now stuck with a guy who can fire the puck, big time, between October and April, but seems nothing shy of fraudulent when it counts.
In all of their playoff misadventures since 2018, the Leafs have never been as thoroughly exposed as during Game 5 of the current Stanley Cup round. The entire team looked like a fraud. On home ice, yet again. The defending champions started slowly in this round, but gained traction when Brad Marchand — forever the Leafs’ Daddy, regardless of uniform — won Game 3 in overtime. As it appears right now, that’s when the Shanahan/Matthews Leafs gave up. Threw in the towel. Saw the writing on the wall. “Why should this spring be different?” they asked one another, silently, as the familiar and forlorn doubts began to flourish. Well, it isn’t.
In fact, it has become a dreary, life–like replay of every Maple Leaf spring in the Corpse–4 era.
Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander collapse, on cue, once the heat begins to rise. The team follows, closely, no matter which person stands behind the bench. There isn’t a coach alive that could avoid being taken down and humbled by the quitters atop the Maple Leaf payroll. Yet, this was carefully planned and executed by the Shanahan administration. Any hockey observer with a shred of acumen could tell, for the past half–decade, that the Core–4 was a losing proposition. Just as there was no chance that Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf could power the Brian Burke Maple Leafs (2008–13), neither can this passive trio get the job done after mid–April.
Will the silly Leafs “run it back” (sigh) for a tenth year of evidence? Or, finally cry “uncle!?”
Other than tanking to procure elite draft picks in 2014–15–16, what have the Leafs done? The answer: Absolutely nothing. Shanahan and Co. have ridden the Nylander–Marner–Matthews coattails during the regular schedule, but haven’t seen a fragment of gumption when required. This team lays down and dies when the pressure mounts. Every year. Like clockwork. There is no–such thing as “secondary” scoring in the playoffs; the annual Toronto roster fillers are expectedly impotent. But, the big–money boys? It has to be embarrassing for the entire Leafs organization. And, deservedly so, as the data was crystal clear after the COVID debacle against the Canadiens. Even half a hockey brain could see the Leafs were devoid of mettle and character. Yet, the culprits kept being awarded with larger sums of money and ironclad contract control. It’s become a sh** show at Bay and Lakeshore.
Would it be different with a healthy Anthony Stolarz in net? No. Nothing can compensate for a team’s best players folding like a cheap suitcase every spring. It’s too steep a hill to climb. Next to impossible.
The funny part? This damned series isn’t over. Not officially, anyhow. The Leafs still have to lose a fourth game. The Florida players would need to ingest poison for it not to happen. And, much of the Toronto hockey universe is convinced it will happen on Friday night in Sunrise. If so, the Leafs will have blown a 2–0 series lead with four consecutive losses for the first time since the 1977 quarterfinals against Philadelphia. For the record, Matthews now has two goals in 11 games this spring… and zero in 10 playoff matches against Florida; all in the second round. Marner has been beaten and whipped into submission, as also happens every spring. Nylander looked good during the loosey goosey early portion of the series, but has commonly vanished with an uptick in physical play.
Nothing we witnessed while the Leafs were humiliated, 8–1, in the past two games should be surprising.
We’ve seen it all before with this group. Consistently. Repeatedly. Without interruption.
Can it possibly change on Friday… then on Sunday? You know the answer.
EMAIL: HOWARDLBERGER@GMAIL.COM
I think if the Leafs let 16 walk (I believe they should) then 34 will be found to be a fraud. He’s incapable of doing anything without 16 feeding him. He’ll be lucky to get 40 pts a season. 34 unfortunately played in Europe as a teen not in North America and it shows every year. And if he is only getting 40 pts a year then all of Leafs Mgmt looks bad. They’ll over pay 16. I hope they don’t but they will.
And yes, last night was an embarrassment.
34 can play with ANYBODY. Claiming he’s a fraud is nonsense. He played very well with Domi & others when 16 was out due to injury. 16 happens to be the 2nd best player on Toronto, 34 being the best in the regular season.
The Leafs will let Marner walk or take a massive pay cut. Matthews without Marner last year played a much better playoffs than this year. And he was playing hurt.
That said, this year Matthews lack luster performance has everything to do with his brain, confidence etc., not sure why he’s still going through this issue.
For Game 6, seperate Matthews & Marner.
Leafs in 6 ?
I shouldn’t be, but I was absolutely stunned by the lazy, uninspired debacle we witnessed last night. How could any self-respecting hockey player getting paid millions, not give everything they had in such an important game? If they somehow miraculously win game 6 it will prove to me that they were capable of winning game 5 but just couldn’t be bothered.
There’s no way the Leafs win this series.
When it’s all over, if one of the Leaf’s brass says something along the lines of “we like our group” I’m going to puke. They have to blow this thing up – in my view, the only untouchables are Knies, Tanev, Carlo and the goalies. I know it’s all easier said than done but enough is enough!
I understand your vent you are right on many issues here
Back in the day if it was SYDNEY or Alex or Mark.Messier there was some sort of tough mental edge they would not stop. The .new ones have a different view. Tavares or Nylander and Knies want to play with the pressure. After 60 + plus years God will be calling up soon and I don’ get to to see Lord Stanley being hoisted in the air. I.?ave lost many.friends n?
Leafs will win games 6, 7 Howard.
Oh well. At least you were half right.
Howard, I think I’m just 2 years younger than you. The world has changed. People get away with fraud in plain sight now. Like a certain *other* president (south of the border).
As I’ve said many times at this time of year, the root cause of the problems is Lawrence M. Tanenbaum. He falls in love with Shanahan and Ujiri with the Raptors. He likes to socialize with both and can’t seem to muster the courage to do what is necessary, that is discarding them. Shanahan has accomplished nothing over the past decade. His record is irrelevant. Shanahan and Ujiri are the most overrated and overpriced executives in professional sports. The problem is Tanenbaum thinks they’re wonderful and most importantly, their incompetence doesn’t affect the bottom line.
When the going gets tough, The Core 4 get going – to the golf course.
Corps-Foursome
Like you, I saw the “persian” flaw in this team 5 or 6 years ago and saw no reason for optimism since. Keith Pelley’s introduction last year changed very little when he showed he was to be only another profit promoter for this organization.
What still pisses me off though is the lie we were sold way back when. I was a strong supporter of the slow rebuild they promised and looked forward to a perennially strong competitor such an undertaking could create. But then Shanahan handing the reins to Kyle Dubas and it was all over but the crying. This group has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth and with a losing ahl enterprise full of retreads, there is little hope on the horizon.
Time to bite the bullet and blow this organization up. The question is and always will be; does this organization have the descipline to do what it takes to learn from its mistakes and do it right without meddling mid way and screwing it up yet again? With this ownership group, I seriously doubt it.
And yet, and yet, the thousand dollar seats will continue to be filled again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that. That’s where the real fault lies – that “fans” seem to think that this team deserves some sort of loyalty. Until that changes, nothing else will.
Get out while you can, folks.
This is the difference between Hab fans and Leaf fans! I think even Leaf fans know that if Montreal had a fab four that cannot produce during playoffs that even the Rocket, Beliveau, Cournoyer and Lafleur did not get the Habs through more than one round of the playoffs, it would not take ten years to do something with the four stars! Cmon Toronto, I even hoped for T.O. To beat Florida and others to keep the cup in Canada…..Go Edmonton Go!
And to think some GM will give Marner up to 14 million this off season for an 82 game schedule. It’s plain crazy. We all know he will vanish every spring as the physical games heat up. To me, the Leafs would be better off with a couple of 20-goal scores that do not shy away when things heat up. Then, bank the savings.
But this is all due to bad management. Blame Matthews if you want to or the core four but the Leafs aren’t a great team. Former Leafs are winning and have won elsewhere while these guys aren’t good enough. If management had done better and built a good team, which they had every chance of doing, you might not be blaming Matthews now. If Mitch Marner is not re-signed the Leafs will not make the playoffs next year and Matthews won’t finish out his current contract as a Leaf. He will ask to be traded before three more seasons are up.
Ok. I’ll blame Matthews. And Marner. And Nylander. And management.
Matthews should quietly ask to be traded now and end his misery. He has the tools to score 75 goals and win the Stanley Cup – someplace else.
Toronto/GTA deserves the Leafs.
The Leafs deserve the GTA.
Run the 1967 tapes. You’ll never see it again.
So you want to re-sign little Mitchy because……??? The aren’t any freaking good (in tough game) with him so….why? They are frankly an embarrassment. I’ve NEVER seen such a completely passive and outright GUTLESS collection of over-rated point collectors in any sport. Let the arrogant little puke walk. It isn’t going to work here, it hasn’t worked here so just go find someplace in the south to play, but lets see how much he likes the LACK of attention. He seems to really like the adulation, but not the justified criticism. As for Mathews, trade him, fire him into the sun I really don’t give a sh#t. He is an embarrassment to the captaincy.
Sorry to disagree, but, see my above comment…..
Congrats to Florida on their dominant performance. That is how you win a Stanley Cup.
I’m expecting Florida to close it out at home with another multi-goal rout.
Shanahan, Treliving, and Berube all need to be shown the door. The sooner the better.
Marner (godwilling) can still agree to a trade for a defenseman (Adam Fox / Quinn Hughes) so he can max out his next contract.
Toronto should have tried to land the Gretzky-Messier combo or in the alternative the Bowman-Quenneville combo before settling for table scraps.
Treliving has done a good job starting to rebuild the back end. No Norris candidates but Tanev plays with heart and OEL has done well this year. He signed Stolarz, great move there. Berube has implemented his systems and we’ve seen the difference in style of play and potential. He gets a pass too. The question last night was who was going to show up – Keefe’s Leafs or the Chief’s Leafs. We all saw that it was Keefe’s Leafs. This is academic, first to go is Pelley – what BS he’s been feeding. “ Not here to sell jerseys”…YEA RIGHT! Shanahan goes in the same cut. A fish rots at the head. Whoever the replacements are gives Treliving the first order – let Marner go – we can use the salary. Screw assets for him, that ship sailed. Almost had Mikko Rantanen for him but he selfishly decided he needed another encore performance to face wash Leaf Nation. Then it’s a brutally honest discussion with Matthews that it’s time to move on, and pick a team you want to go to because this WILL happen before next season starts or you can shine your solid gold golf clubs and tooth on Robidas Island until you decide. Tavares can stay or go not going to make a difference in a rebuild and same for Willy. Potential now from the net out to the blue line, tweaking still required. Now it’s time to get some heart and soul forwards who hate to lose. I repeat…HATE to lose.