The Toronto Maple Leafs are a good hockey team, however it feels like they’re not mentally tough enough to win in Year 7 of the Auston Matthews Era.
Imagine making it to the top of your profession every single year, then on the very last day, your boss punches you in the face and says you’re not ready, yet? Well, that’s kind of what’s been happening to the Toronto Maple Leafs for the past six years.
The first year that this happened, the team was just happy to be up for a promotion. For a team filled with rookies, there no was no expectation and losing the promotion was no big deal. “Hey, there’s always next year” they’d say.
Then, came Boston.
There was some scar-tissue with the Bruins in the past, but there was still limited expectations. A win would be incredible for this team, but it wasn’t the end of the world, the first go-around. However, after in back-to-back years, it was crushing.
Despite the unfortuante circumstance of not getting promoted, they were stable and a new leader came in that should have helped push them over the edge. With John Tavares as the captain and Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander in their youth, a promotion was imminent.
But as we all found out, the pandemic stopped the momentum. Despite working from home every day (ie: five games at home during the bubble series against Columbus), they couldn’t get the job done once again.
Toronto Maple Leafs Are in Rough Shape
Okay, now this is getting outrageous.
The pandemic shortened the next work year, but that was one of your most productive years ever. Maybe it was because it was a smaller sample size and a long year would have exposed your weaknesses, but heading into promotion season, life was good.
With a 3-1 lead and home-ice advantage, the promotion was in sight. Finally, you were going to get promoted. There was even hope that you’d be the CEO by the end of the spring. But instead, your arch-rival and long-time enemy from Montreal was given that opportunity and you were passed up again.
Year 6 and there’s no promotion.
We’ve been fighting for the same raise and although we think we’ve been ready for it for years, it just hasn’t happened, yet. Do we give up on our dreams and start over? Do we find a new profession and say “screw, it”?
Nope.
We fight on with the same group as always. After another long-year and multiple awards (Auston Matthews – Hart Trophy & Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy), nobody was going to defeat us now. After years of hardship, this was the time that we would finally change our fate.
With a 3-2 series lead, we had the promotion in the bag.
But then it happened again. For the sixth year in a row, we were punched in the face and we weren’t given that promotion. Instead of giving up, we’ve decided to run it back one more time, with the same core and same leadership
However, has that wear and tear caught up to the team?
The answer seems to be yes. With a 4-4-2 record to start the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a terrible state. They’re lashing out in the media and they seem like a team that isn’t ready to make the next step.
And why would they feel any different? We’re currently in Year 7 of the Auston Matthews Era and nothing has happened. A few awards and a couple good nights are all we have, so when will this organization realize they need a change?
The same core cannot continue to get beat down every single spring and come back in the fall in good spirits. It would take a goldfish type of memory to be able to do that and this roster looks dead and unenthusiastic to win.
I said it last week but if they don’t beat the Philadelphia Flyers tonight, the whole organization should be fired. It’s just not fun to be a Toronto Maple Leafs fan anymore.