If the Toronto Maple Leafs Lost, Look to the Future….

And if the Toronto Maple Leafs won, look to Sunday.

Last night’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets was either the biggest display of heart and determination I’ve ever seen, or it was a choking on par with the solo career of ex-I Mother Earth frontman Edwin.

I am writing this ahead of time, and so it is my hope you open this this morning with happiness in your heart as the boys in blue live to fight another day.

And if not, don’t worry, the future is bright.

Toronto Maple Leafs in the Future

The Leafs – if they lost – now have a one-in-eight chance to draft Alexis Lafreniere, a franchise player that teams wait years to get.

If you put Lafreniere on a team with Nick Robertson, and Rasmus Sandin, you’d have a rebuild worth getting excited about.

If you put him on a team with Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and William Nylander, you probably have something close to the best team ever assembled.

I mean, its’s been over 50 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs last won a championship, what’s another year?

Lafreniere is the kind of sure-thing that comes along every few years.  Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid and now Lafreniere.

But, there is still a chance the Leafs won last night.

And if they didn’t, there is an 88% chance that they don’t get Lafreniere, but its fun to imagine.

Regardless, the Toronto Maple Leafs have an amazing roster that is only getting better.  Sandin, Robertson, both have a couple cheap years to give.  Matthews and company are approaching the peaks of their careers and now the team has a ton of experience to build on.

I mean, I would have liked to see Rasmus Sandin and some competent, even just slightly unsatisfactory, officiating, but what can you do?

Or else the Leafs won last night and have set the stage for an amazing comeback, while showing grit and determiniation and a no-quit attitude that would bring Mr. Wendel Clark cry to tears with envy.

Bottom line is, whatever happened last night, I enjoyed the hell out of it after a five month layoff.

Whether the Leafs are gearing up for game five, or leaving the bubble, the fact is that they are in good shape after four years of rebuilding.

Sure, we all wish it was going faster, but the team is still well ahead of where they reasonably could have expected to be at this point.

Win or lose, I love the way this team plays, and I hope they stay the course.   Though, if I’m honest, I really, really hope there’s a game Sunday.