Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs have more reason than most to feel disillusioned after yet another first round exit.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been knocked out of the first round every time they’ve made it since 2004.
In recent years, since the Leafs first playoff appearance in the Matthews era in 2016-17, they’ve been knocked out of the first round five times (six if you include the qualifying round in 2020).
In this time they’ve set the franchise record for points in a season twice. On top of that, their star-studded lineup has broken record after record individually since they entered the league.
All this to say, their playoff failures cannot be understated.
They’re entering the seventh season of the Matthews era and they should be perennial contenders by now. However, it’s still not time to hit the panic button.