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Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable: Caring (Or Not) About The Playoffs

By Tim Chiasson

Feb 21, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner (51) is congratulated by center Nazem Kadri (43) and center William Nylander (29) and center Auston Matthews (34) against the Winnipeg Jets at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Jets 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner (51) is congratulated by center Nazem Kadri (43) and center William Nylander (29) and center Auston Matthews (34) against the Winnipeg Jets at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Jets 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 14, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner (51) skates against the New York Islanders at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated New York 7-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Tim Chiasson’s Take

Yes. This team is good – and they’re fun to watch.

After so many garbage seasons we’ve finally got a team worth watching, so why wouldn’t you be pissed off if they miss the playoffs?

The management might not care either way, but the players certainly care. This is a competitive group of young players who don’t know what it’s like to quit. There’s no tanking here this year. The Leafs will be no better off in the draft missing the playoffs by a few points or getting in by a few points.

The final 18 games of the season for the Leafs mean absolute diddly-squat in the long-term. This team will gain experience whether or not they win or lose.

Leafs Nation should be excited about the prospects of a playoff berth. If you honestly believe this team is good enough, then you’ll be mad if they miss the playoffs. If you don’t get mad at a missed berth you probably didn’t have much faith in the group while they were winning a bunch of games anyway.

Cautious optimism? Temper expectations? That’s a cop-out at this point in the year with what they’ve done. I want to see this group play more than 82 games this year.

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