For the sixth consecutive year, the Toronto Maple Leafs have qualified for postseason hockey and there’s a lot we’ve learned.
Whether you’re a casual or a die-hard fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, this year has been stagnant. The team has once again been very consistent in the regular season and there hasn’t been much to worry about.
Their regular season winning percentage isn’t as high as it was during the previous two campaigns, but it still currently ranks as the fifth best in franchise history. As we’ve seen over the past few years, regular season success doesn’t really mean anything if it doesn’t translate in the playoffs, so although they’re not winning at the same clip as last year, that’s nothing to worry about.
For the past few months, it feels like we’ve known that the Leafs will once again play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the First Round and will likely have home-ice advantage again. Toronto didn’t capitalize on having four games at home during last year’s playoffs, but hopefully that can change this year.
Previous seasons have felt like the breaking-point for the core-four and management, but this year now truly feels like it. If Toronto loses in the First Round once again, how are we supposed to run this back? How are we supposed to grind through another six months and 82 regular season games to wait for the same thing to likely happen.
Here are four things we’ve learned about the Toronto Maple Leafs this regular season: