For the first time since 2015-16, the Toronto Maple Leafs will miss the playoffs. Over the previous nine seasons, the Maple Leafs qualified, which was the longest active streak in the NHL.
Maple Leafs miss playoffs for first time in 9 years
The Maple Leafs' 4-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday officially ended the streak. From the very beginning of the season, this year has just simply felt off; it was their first season without hometown star Mitch Marner, and the inconsistency of their play continued throughout the season.
Over the last nine seasons, the Maple Leafs have been labelled a great regular-season team, but when it came time to perform, they often crumbled. With just two series wins over the last nine playoff runs, many needed a change, even if it would make them worse. The offseason saw former general manager Brad Treliving attempt to make up for the absence of Mitch Marner, but that proved to be a difficult task. But many still believed this team would make the postseason, just at a regression from winning the Atlantic Division.
A terrible start proved to be too much
The Maple Leafs got off to a slow start and saw their record fall below .500 heading into the middle stages of the season. Slight resurgence in late December and into January saw this team have some life and sit in a wild-card spot, but there was too much inconsistency for this formula to hold off. Injuries throughout the season also proved to be too much for this lineup. With players such as John Tavares past his prime and Auston Matthews unable to find his goal-scoring touch, the Maple Leafs had to rely solely on William Nylander to drive the offence. However, Nylander suffered groin injuries throughout the second half of the season, which sent the Maple Leafs on a six-game losing streak when it seemed to matter most.
Many are hoping this is just a one-season blimp, and a retool to the roster could be what they needed. For the remainder of the season, Maple Leafs fans hope the losing continues as if they can fall inside the bottom five heading into the lottery their is a good chance they find a way to keep their first round selection this season.