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Toronto Maple Leafs Need Players Who Bleed Blue or Be Gone

By D.J. Llewellyn

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 2: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs walks to the dressing room before playing the Buffalo Sabres at the Scotiabank Arena on March 2, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 2: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs walks to the dressing room before playing the Buffalo Sabres at the Scotiabank Arena on March 2, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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 Heart. It’s not something you can measure. It’s not always something you see, but something you definitely feel.  So do the Toronto Maple Leafs have any?

Right now, it definitely feels the Toronto Maple Leafs just don’t care about competing. How else do we explain last night’s loss in Pittsburgh? Following a terrible game against Buffalo, this is exactly the opposite of what you expect from a team with this kind of talent.

This late in the season, there can’t be a roster full of players saying they need to “take a look in the mirror” or give some sort of effort they currently aren’t. Not after Babcock was canned almost 40 games ago and the trade deadline fast approaching. Not when you’re clinging to a playoff spot.

There are plenty of reasons for the Toronto Maple Leafs lackluster record as of late. Steady Freddy hasn’t been steady at all. Injuries to important players keep piling up. We all know this.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Penguins

What people have a problem with is watching a team that has no fight in it. When the game isn’t going well, it appears like most of the team just resigns itself to its fate and quits. Where’s the fight? Losses hurt, but you’re easily forgiven if you give it all you’ve got.

When you step out on the ice wearing the blue and white, you should be filled with pride. You have the largest fanbase in the world and over 100 years of history behind you. Everywhere this team goes, plenty of Leafs fans fill the arena no matter what. They don’t pay huge sums of money and travel long distances to watch what is a cup contender on paper appear as if they’re ready to golf by February. You’re TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS!

Kyle Dubas has a lot to think on over the next few days. Is this a group that can win but needs a shock to its system? The star players are producing, but the bottom two lines haven’t been doing much of anything. Do you shake that up or shake up the core? Andersen will get back to his old self, but will that be in time to compete?

When fans talk about players like Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour, they love them not simply because they were talented. People love them because they brought “it” every game.

“It” wasn’t always something you could see during a bad game, but it was something you could always feel. You felt Clark gave it his all whether he was bloody or not. You felt Gilmour fought to the end whether he put up tons of points or not.

Next. The Real Problem Is in Perception. dark

How can a team with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and the other talented players on the roster so often have us feel nothing at all?

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