For the first time since 2015-16, the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to miss the playoffs. As a fan of the blue and white, it's going to feel different going into April and preparing to not watch my team compete for the Stanley Cup for the first time in a decade.
But maybe that's for the best.
This current Toronto Maple Leafs season almost entirely parellels that of the Boston Bruins from last season. But if you look at the Bruins now, they are in a far better spot than they were this time last year.
Can the Leafs learn a thing from their arch rivals ahead of this year's trade deadline?
Maple Leafs should take notes from Bruins' trade deadline
This time last season, the Boston Bruins found themselves on the verge of ending their league-leading playoff streak, fired their coach mid-season, and with one of the worst prospect pools in the NHL.
Flipping the calendar to this year, the Bruins have a much stronger prospect pool, a flurry of youth already injected into their lineup, in a playoff spot with just over twenty games to go, and two first round picks in each of the next two NHL drafts.
Are they going to win the Cup this season? Likely not, but they've set a foundation for the years to come while maintaining to stay competitive this year, and are in a far better position to succeed compared to this time last season.
The Leafs could learn a thing or two from last year's Bruins, but mainly the fact that they opted to retool, not go for a full-on rebuild.
The Bruins made the call last season to move on from long-time team members Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, and Charlie Coyle, but still opted to keep core pieces David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, Jeremy Swayman, and others.
The Leafs need to do the same this year, make trades to get younger and improve for next year, but maintain their core foundational pieces.
The likes of Bobby McMann, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Scott Laughton should all be moved at this year's deadline, and potentially Morgan Rielly if the Leafs can find a taker.
This was no one's plan heading into this season, but it has become imperative that the Leafs sell high this trade deadline. It's an unfortunate way to close out the season, but it is necessary for future success.
If you were to tell me by the 2027 deadline that the Leafs are in a playoff spot with a re-stocked cupboard of draft picks and a movement of youth on the roster, I think almost every fan will be happy.