Aside from long, consecutive playoff appearances in their respective leagues, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1990s Chicago Bulls have little in common.
Michael Jordan's sixth NBA championship with that Bulls dynasty was chronicled in The Last Dance. The appropriately titled documentary shared footage and interviews from key players and legendary coach Phil Jackson. It was correctly speculated that 1998 would be the last season for many of the Bulls' key figures.
That was the last time the Bulls won a championship. Jordan retired. Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Jackson went elsewhere. After fourteen consecutive postseason appearances and six titles, the Bulls missed the playoffs for six years following the 1998 season.
The Maple Leafs recently clinched their ninth consecutive playoff appearance. It's the longest active streak in the National Hockey League. However, eight previous early postseason exits and expiring contracts for two important players present the Leafs with their own "Last Dance" feel as the playoffs approach.
"Last Dance" feel to the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Leafs have had an impressive 2024-2025 regular season. They've been at the top of the Atlantic Division for most of the year. With a couple of weeks left in the schedule, they control their destiny for first place in the division, the number two seed in the Eastern Conference, and the home-ice advantage that comes with it. A division title would be their first since taking the Northeast under Pat Quinn in 1999-2000 (excluding the short-lived North division from 2020-2021).
On top of that, they will surpass one hundred points for a fourth successive season and sixth time in eight years. The two years they didn't reach the century mark were shortened by the pandemic.
All of those numbers are impressive but mean little. The Leafs fan base is pining for a long playoff run. With a roster loaded with stars, the expectation was that it would have already happened.
Instead, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Morgan Rielly have disappointed each spring despite Rocket Richard and Hart trophies, forty-goal or hundred point seasons, and all-star selections.
The Maple Leafs head into this postseason with a more promising outlook than in prior seasons. Their goaltending depth has never been better during the Matthews era. Their defense is deep, more physical, and has a shutdown pair in Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev. They have two developing power forwards, Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann, who seem built for the playoffs, to provide secondary scoring. They added Scott Laughton to help with the bottom six forwards.
General manager Brad Treliving brought in his own coach, Craig Berube. He has thrived in his first year behind the Leafs bench. The team's style has changed, and they seem better suited to win tight-checking games, which are common in the playoffs.
The Maple Leafs have their most complete team of the Matthews-Marmer-Nylander-Tavares-Rielly era in an Eastern Conference with many good teams but none that are dominant.
The contracts of Tavares and Marner expire this summer. Tension around Marner's situation heightened at the trade deadline, with the Leafs exploring their options. Marner has been on edge discussing his status. That will only escalate with more playoff adversity.
Tavares resurgent season will be forgotten with another early playoff dismissal. He wants to stay with his hometown team, but the feeling may not be reciprocated by the Leafs should another postseason faceplant occur.
Matthews and Nylander have signed long-term contracts and aren't going anywhere. McMann and Knies are keepers. McCabe, Tanev, Rielly, and Carlo are signed for multiple seasons.
All of it together leaves the Toronto Maple Leafs with limited options for change. Without a long playoff run or a Stanley Cup championship, we are witnessing the Leafs version of "The Last Dance".