The Toronto Maple Leafs are making the playoffs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs also happen to be one of the best teams in the NHL. Are they going to play Boston, or are they going to play Tampa Bay? Honestly, who cares?
The Leafs are making the Playoffs for back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2002-03 and 2003-04. Since then, this marks only the third total playoff appearance, so based on the old cliche about beggers and choosers, I honestly couldn’t care less who they play – the fact that they are playing is good enough for me.
Maybe one day Auston Matthews will make it so that I expect the Leafs to actually advance in the playoffs; or that I’m not just satisfied with an appearance – but that day is yet to come.
If the Leafs should lose in the first round, I’ll still be happy about a season in which a team led by a trio of sophomores was one of the best in the league. I’ll still be happy and excited about the potential of this team in the future.
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But Then Again…
Then again, maybe these low(ish) expectations are unfair to the team. Just because they’re young and relatively inexperienced doesn’t mean they can’t do some damage. The Leafs are one of the NHL’s fastest teams, one of the NHL’s deepest teams, featuring two (possibly three) of the NHL’s best players and they’ve also got one of the best goalies and (apparently, though I am thinking Connor Carrick disagrees) one of the best coaches.
Objectively, I think my expectations are preposterously low. But, it’s the Leafs, so I know better than to get too excited about their prospects.
The fact is, the Leafs have beaten the Bruins in seven of their last eight games. The Lightning aren’t much better (if they even are) at shutting down opponents than the Leafs are. There’s reasons to want to play both.
Then again, there are reasons to be angry that three of the NHL’s top 6/7 teams have to play each other in the first two rounds, which really puts a damper on the “meaning” of the regular season (not to mention that the Leafs played approximately half a year after having all-but-mathematically clinching third place in the Atlantic, which they did sometime around Christmas).
In closing, I’m pretty damn pumped about the Playoffs. It seems like it’s been a while since the actual outcome of a game mattered, and I am (secretly) starting to allow myself to consider what it’d be like to see the Leafs in the Finals.
Then again, as I watch them bench the far inferior Carrick in favor ol’ Polak, I also have my doubts. Either way, it’s gonna be fun to watch.