3 Toronto Maple Leafs Who Will Be Gone If Leafs Get Swept

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If the Toronto Maple Leafs get swept and lose in the second round of the playoffs, except a ton of changes.

It’s crazy what a week can do for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Doesn’t it feel like it was ages ago that we were celebrating the first round win against the Tampa Bay Lightning?

For the first time in 19 years, the Leafs were in the second round and things were going to be different. The curse was broken and this franchise wasn’t a laughing-stock anymore, but here we are.

We’re somehow in the same place that we’ve been for the past 19 years as this team is on the verge of getting swept. I understand that Sergei Bobrovsky is playing great but the Leafs should not be down 3-0.

For those of you saying that Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander have just been unlucky during this three-game stretch, you’re delusional. The effort is not there and it was full-display for Game 3.

Marner and Matthews were invisible, when they should have had the greatest game of their lives. Instead, they looked content going off into the sunset cashing their $10-plus million cheques and spending next week on the golf course.

It was an ugly performance and as a result, there needs to be consequences if they lose and especially if they get swept. You can make the argument that the Washington Capitals never broke up their core and ran it back during Alex Ovechkin’s prime, which eventually resulted in a Stanley Cup, but Ovechkin is a competitor and top-10 player of all-time.

Even when they lost, he was performing at a high-level and would hit everyone in sight. This core is soft as butter and don’t play like that, so it’s time to make some changes if they get swept.

May 7, 2023; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe . Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1: Sheldon Keefe

Keefe is one of the most winningest coaches of the past decade, having done it in the OHL, AHL and NHL, but it might be time for a change.

Whether it’s Gerard Gallant, Joel Quenneville or Darryl Sutter, there are a lot of experienced coaches available right now who could change this team.

The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t had any issues with regular season success, but maybe they need a different voice who can help them in the playoffs.

At the end of the day, it’s the players who make the difference and help with results, but Keefe’s days could be numbered if the Leafs get swept.

Dubas and Keefe are typically a package-deal, but regardless of what happens with Toronto, it feels like Dubas has done enough to keep his job. Keefe, on the hand, could be the easiest person to fire and could be a whipping-boy to change the culture of this franchise.

He’s done an amazing job but four years is a long time for any coach to command a room, so expect Keefe to take the blame if the team gets swept.

TORONTO, CANADA – NOVEMBER 19: Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Mitch Marner

Trading the best right-winger in hockey sounds like a crazy idea but Marner isn’t a player that guides you to a championship.

He’s a playmaker that has all of the space in the world during the regular season, but gets quiet when the games mean the most.

The NHL is a different game than it was 20 years ago, but a little bit of sandpaper goes a long way in April, May and June.

Marner is never in a scrum, never causes any issues, but instead looks scared in the biggest moments.

He’s starting to fall into the Phil Kessel role where he can be a player who wins a Stanley Cup, but only if he’s a complementary player. I know that’s harsh but not everyone is made to be the leader who can take their team to the promised land.

You’re going to have way more success if you elevate a guy like Ryan O’Reilly than you would with Marner and based on his contract, you can find a lot of talent with his $10.93M off the books.

Go let another fanbase fall in love with his 35 goals and 100 point regular season’s because once the playoffs start, he’s not a player you win with.

Sep 24, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing William Nylander Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 3: William Nylander

In a perfect world, I’m keeping Nylander all day but with one-year left on his contract at a good cap-hit, he’s a player you can move for a number-one defenseman.

The Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have that type of player right now and desperately need it to help their blue-line. Nylander can help fetch you that in a trade because not only is his cap-hit reasonable, but he’s under contract for one more year and is a 40-goal scorer.

Nylander would be the best player on some team’s, so he’s incredibly valuable to another organization. He’s the type of player that scores 40 goals, has 90 points on the Arizona Coyotes and is named to the All-Star Team, but that’s all he is.

Similar to Marner, he puts up points, but points don’t equal hard-work and dedication to win. When his game goes soft, he looks terrible and although I love his game, he would be a great trade asset this offseason.

dark. Next. 10 Reasons Why the Leafs Will Comeback

Auston Matthews and John Tavares are untouchables so if the Leafs really want to shake up the roster, they would be best suited trading Nylander, Marner and firing Keefe.

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