The Toronto Maple Leafs season has stopped and there’s no return date in sight, so let’s reflect on the season that was.
Sure, it’s quite possible that the Toronto Maple Leafs season will resume and they’ll still have 12 games left to make the playoffs, but that’s unrealistic.
Although it feels like months since we last saw an NHL game, it was only a few short weeks ago that the season was halted.
When the season stopped, the Leafs were currently in a playoff spot, hanging on by a thread. The Florida Panthers were only three points back with a game in-hand and there was no guarantee of a Wild-Card birth if they didn’t finish top three in the Atlantic division.
This season has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions. With huge expectations, the team hasn’t delivered, despite looking dominant at times. With plenty of key injuries, shaky goaltending and a coaching change, tied-11th in total points isn’t entirely that terrible.
At the end of the day, it’s all about making the playoffs and if you can get into the dance, you have a shot at winning the cup. Both the 2006 Edmonton Oilers and 2012 Los Angeles Kings made the Stanley Cup Final as an eighth-seed, with the Kings actually winning it all.
Although the script seemed written on the Leafs season, they still had another 12 games remaining to change the narrative.
This team has reminiscent of the story of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . You never know what team was going to show up each night, which actually made it fun.
Therefore, let’s recap the season and remember the roller-coaster ride that was.