Toronto Maple Leafs: The Exit Interviews Part One: The Players

Another season has come to an end sooner than the Toronto Maple Leafs expected and it was exit interview time once again.

With another first-round exit from the NHL playoffs, the media had a ton of questions for both the Toronto Maple Leafs players and management.

The main roster has 12 players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA) on July 28th and one Restricted Free Agent (RFA).

Those players along with management were asked about the future of this team and how to fix the problem of routine first-round exits. In this article, I will highlight what the players had to say.

Highlights Toronto Maple Leafs Player Exit Interviews:

John Tavares

When John Tavares was asked about the hit from Corey Perry, he said he doesn’t remember the hit. He remembers his first couple of shifts, remembers parts of being down on the ice, and being on the stretcher, but “it was very vague.”

Tavares also confirmed that Perry did reach out to him that night. “Sent me a nice message, and I would like to think that there was no intent.” From everyone Tavares has talked to about the incident, “it just seemed like an unfortunate set of circumstances.”

When asked about his recovery, Tavares said “I’m doing really well. Continuing to progress. I feel very fortunate.” He also pointed out that he has not watched a replay of the incident.

He also talked about the team’s failure in the playoffs and said “Hard to put into context the disappointment (of first round loss) – we all take significant responsibility for not meeting expectations.” “We feel like we have let our fanbase down.” ( All Quotes from youtube.com).

Mitch Marner

Here is how Mitch Marner responded to a question about the team’s playoff failure. “The end result is terrible. It’s not what we wanted. No one is feeling good about this. It’s awful – what we didn’t accomplish is a really shitty feeling.”

When asked about the rumor regarding him not wanting to play a specific role on the power play, he responded with “It’s a complete lie.” and then added “I’d play any role to help this team win.”  

Morgan Rielly

Here is how Morgan Rielly described the Toronto Maple Leafs first round series against the Montreal Canadiens. “As a group, we prepared well.” He then added “We have to learn how to close a series out.”  That might be the understatement of the decade.

Rielly was asked about his contract situation which only has one year left. “It has crossed my mind, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.”   

Frederik Andersen

Leafs netminder Frederik Andersen was asked about his time in Toronto over the last five years. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here. I will look back on these five years with a lot of good memories. With regard to the future, I don’t know what’s in store yet.”

When asked about what he is looking for in free agency, he responded with “To start, I want to talk to Kyle.” he then added “I know how good I can be when I’m healthy, I still have my abilities.”

Depending on what kind of deal Andersen is looking for, I think it is safe to say he has played his last game as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Joe Thornton

Here is what Joe Thornton had to say when asked about his future in the NHL. “This came so sudden, I have not had time to think about it. I feel really good, but I have to take some time and be a dad.”

Thornton on this year’s roster in Toronto, “This group has a lot of great pieces, a lot of great people.”

When asked about the first round failure, Thornton responded with “I wish the fans could have enjoyed this team.”  Fans were enjoying this team, until it blew a 3-1 series lead.

Wayne Simmonds

Hometown player Wayne Simmonds on his season with the Toronto Maple Leafs,  “I was hoping to be a piece of the puzzle to help push past.” He then added “It was an honor to put the Blue and White on this year.”

When asked about his hockey future, he replied “I have no clue, to be honest with you.”  He also said he is open to returning, “but it is a business.”

Jason Spezza

Jason Spezza was asked about failing to be the best team in the north division during the playoffs after winning the division during the regular season. “The road is extremely hard every year. Lots of talk about which divisions are the strongest, it’s just good banter.”

Here is what he had to say regarding his level of play. “I love the game. I realize my opportunities to win are becoming less and less.” 

Spezza also said he would like to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs next season. I hope they bring him back and I think he deserves more than the league minimum this time.

Zach Hyman

This is what Zach Hyman had to say about his upcoming UFA status. “All I’ve been thinking about is this year, I have not had time to think about it.”  As for his desire to return to return to Toronto, “Of course. If something makes sense, but like I said, I have not really thought about it.”

When asked about this first round collapse compared to past failures, he said “This is the most heart-breaking of all of them.”

I, like many of the fans in Toronto hope that the Leafs will find a way to bring Hyman back as long as the price is not too high.