The Toronto Maple Leafs are in a way better spot than they were five years ago.
Yeah, I know. Thanks Captain Obvious. The reason I’m bringing this up is because five years ago marked the season where the turn of events leading to the turn of the tide began for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The 2013-14 season initially held promise. The Leafs had just finished an exciting 2013 season where they finally made the playoffs after an eight year drought. Although it ended in heartbreak, it had fans feeling a sense of hope.
The hope seemed real at first, but after a horrible skid in the final months of the season, the Maple Leafs would miss the playoffs and be back at square one. At the end of the 2013-14 season, the Maple Leafs hired Brendan Shanahan as their President of Hockey Ops. Shanahan then eventually hired current GM Kyle Dubas, current head coach Mike Babcock, drafted almost the entire core the Maple Leafs have now, and in the process conducted a total revamp of the roster at the time.
The whole “revamp” idea inspired me to take a trip back to 2013-14 and go over the roster they had then and compare it to the one they have now. Do you feel like cringing as well as counting your blessings in praise of the differences? If so, then hop on board and join me on a journey to check up on the old Leafs and see where they are nowadays.