2023 Is a Defining Year for the Toronto Maple Leafs

2023 is the biggest year of the past two decades for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

If the 2022-23 season doesn’t end how the Toronto Maple Leafs hope they do, we may be entering a new era for the 2023-24 campaign.

The future of the Leafs is bright, but it’s also uncertain. The current make-up of the roster only has a few years left on their contract and the team’s architect is currently without a contract for next year.

GM Kyle Dubas has once again created a winning culture, however it’s still the regular season. Success for 82 games is fun, but it doesn’t mean anything unless the team wins in the playoffs. I know that’s such an unfair way to grade someone, but it’s just the truth.

If Dubas were the GM of a English Premier League team, he’d be viewed as a god, as there are no playoffs in the EPL. However, since North American sports only care about what happens in the playoffs, he’s looked at as an incompetent manager, by many fans.

As we look to 2023, we should reflect on 2022, first. The pandemic was still relevant and stopped some games, but when the playoffs started, fans were allowed back in the building, giving the Leafs a legitimate home-ice advantage. But, as per usual, they lost in the most important game of the season and continue to utter the phrase “there’s always next year.”

2023 Will Define Toronto Maple Leafs Legacy

If the Leafs win a playoff round this year and the core of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares are the team’s best players, Dubas’ job will be saved. However, if they fail to advance again, there will be huge changes.

Dubas will more than likely be fired and one of those top players will be traded. Although it’s probably a silly move to trade one of them, the pressure will be on and they’ll have to, because if they don’t, they’ll be delusional.

Also, if Toronto doesn’t win again, it could delay the contract extension they will look to give Matthews on July 1st. The former Hart Trophy winner is clearly enjoying his time in the blue-and-white, but he’s a competitor who needs to win. If it’s not working in Toronto, he may not want to sign a contract extension and would prefer to test free agency after on July 1st, 2024.

Matthews is a generational talent. He’s someone who should be in the same breath as Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, in terms of players who stay and win with the same franchise, but as an American-born player, he may want to play in an American market, which is justified.

Toronto is a great team and they’re playing great hockey, but they need to win now. With every year that passes, Tavares’ contract will continue to look worse, so they need to win while he’s still a top-50 player in the league.

If this team doesn’t win, the GM, head coach and a key player or two could be traded, and we don’t want to see that happen, yet. This team is so well constructed that they need as many cracks at  Stanley Cup as possible.

I know it sounds crazy, but they will win a playoff round. They’re way too good not to compile four wins in a seven games, so let’s hope 2023 is filled with more wins than loses in the Spring this year.