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5 New Year’s Resolutions Bound to Benefit Maple Leafs Through 2021

By Shaun Filippelli

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 07: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his third period goal at 16:54 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 07, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 07: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his third period goal at 16:54 against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 07, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
TORONTO, ONTARIO – AUGUST 07: John Tavares #91 of the Toronto Maple Leafs  . (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /

With a new year upon us, many will look to 2021 as a fresh start. And the Toronto Maple Leafs are not exempt, with some key resolutions that could help them rise to new heights.

It’s no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs have expected far more success than they’ve achieved as of late. Built with a conscious effort to prioritize skill, their lackluster results haven’t been aligning with such a blueprint. However, not all is lost just yet.

Regardless of judgement thrown towards this franchise from non-fans, their actual supports are often much more skeptical. This team causes polarization in both opinions and emotions. When the Maple Leafs are winning, nothing can stop them. Yet, when they aren’t, they need to tear it all down and start again. Right?

Wrong. Toronto continues learning, developing, and growing. Progress is still possible. While winning is obviously the preferred option, there are lessons that come alongside losing. It’s up to them to put that experience to good use, while they work to move upwards into their next tier of results.

Consider the fact that this will be Auston Matthews’s fifth season in the league. A pivotal point in many superstars’ storylines, as to what they’d accomplish in that same span. And although Matthews still strives to be even better, it’s not as though he’s failed to do his part. What’s more, is that he’s not even close to the peak in his play.

Matthews, along with the young core that leads this team, have already begun to show what they can do. It’s just a matter of how it all comes together and complements a more complete effort. After all, that is always the main ingredient of any success story.

Toronto’s current plan is still unfolding, so it’s not yet time to review their overall results. It is getting close, though. With much of their core committed until the end of the 2023-24 season, the time is now for this lineup to begin cementing their legacy.

As they look ahead to the fresh start that 2021 will grant them, the Maple Leafs need to have a clear sense of what’s needed to bypass recent failures and reach new levels of achievement. Here are their top five resolutions, if this roster hopes to make the new year one of better fortunes for the franchise.

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