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Another year, another playoff failure for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Atlantic Division winners blew a 2-0 series lead to the Florida Panthers and ultimately lost in seven games on Sunday evening. But it wasn't just a loss, it was a blowout. The defending Stanley Cup champions wiped the floor with the Maple Leafs in their arena, winning 6-1.
The core for this club — Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares — have failed to produce when the stakes are highest. The Leafs have lost seven consecutive Game 7s with the four on their roster.
Major changes could be coming this offseason, and insider Jonas Siegel insists that Brendan Shanahan has to break up the core and go in a different direction because this plan isn't working:
“This has to be it: the end of the Shanaplan, the end of the Core Four Toronto Maple Leafs,” Siegel wrote.
“There’s no running it back. Not after this. Not after maybe the most embarrassing loss of this era, which came four nights after the other most embarrassing loss of this era. Not after letting a 2-0 series lead melt away with four losses in five games. Not after the core of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares failed again when it mattered. Not after seven tries with that core.”
Matthews had one point in the final four games of the Panthers series. Nylander, meanwhile, who is arguably the Maple Leafs' best player, had zero points during that span. Mitch Marner and John Tavares also virtually did nothing.
Marner is set to hit free agency this summer, and it feels highly unlikely he returns after another playoff flameout. As for Tavares, he's a hometown player, so maybe he returns. But it's increasingly clear that this recipe isn't working.
They've all had enough time together to figure it out and perform on the big stage. It hasn't happened. You can blame the curse as much as you want, but the reality is the stars on the roster aren't getting it done.
Changes seem inevitable.
