The Toronto Maple Leafs risk becoming a zombie team unless they do something drastic to alter their trajectory.
The term “zombie” comes from the business world. Some corporations become “zombie companies” as they are too good to go under, but not good enough to produce significant gains for investors.
Zombie companies are the kind of “safe” investments that some prefer. They produce predictable results that won’t destroy money in spectacular bankruptcies.
Such is the situation the Maple Leafs are facing at the moment. They are too good to tank, but they’re not quite good enough to contend. The Leafs have a good enough core to avoid a catastrophic last-overall finish.
But the reality is that the Maple Leafs’ core doesn’t have the supporting cast to catapult it to a Stanley Cup. By “safe” and “predictable,” the Maple Leafs could be on the fringes of playoff contention every season for some time.
The club will make the playoffs some years, and others it won’t. The seasons that it does make the playoffs, they’ll likely get bounced in the first round. The missed playoff seasons could yield high draft picks strong enough to boost the team for some time.
Of course, such a situation will inevitably lead to calls for a rebuild. Management could resist a full-on rebuild, adding on the fringes, and keeping the club above water for a couple of more seasons.
Maple Leafs must change the path forward
So, the organization must change the path forward. A full-on rebuild isn’t an option at this point. The team is too good to tear everything down. In the business world, it would be akin to a profitable company selling everything off and rebuilding its core business from the ground up. Doing so could mean throwing away years of hard work and market consolidation.
That’s what the Maple Leafs are clinging to. The idea of selling off valuable pieces now and starting over could mean several seasons of futility. In 2016, the massive tanking caught a huge break with Auston Matthews. Had it not been for Matthews, the Leafs could have become something far worse than a zombie team.
This time around, there might not be a Matthews waiting to be drafted somewhere. Such a star player may be around, but what would be the Maple Leafs’ chances of landing such a player?
Perhaps trades for established stars could work. But that would mean targeting the right players. Additionally, there’s the matter of the coaching staff. Is Craig Berube really the right person for the job? If not, then who is?
Those are existential questions that the Maple Leafs must answer. Considering that profitability is a major concern, the higher-ups will do everything they can to extend this team’s shelf life. The goal is to make the playoffs every year. The revenue and the exposure that come from making the postseason are something the organization does not want to relinquish.