it's hard to believe that the Toronto Maple Leafs currently have the longest playoff streak in the NHL right now, but this team has been very successful for the past decade.
I know the Toronto Maple Leafs have only won one playoff round in those eight years, but they have been a consistent regular season team, beating up on their opponents from October to April.
It's easy to be upset as fans because we haven't seen that illustratious championship yet, but that could change at the end of the 2024-25, or it could go the other way.
This is a very important year for the Leafs. I know we say that every single season, but this is most likely going to be the end of an era, regardless of what happens.
2024-25 Season Could Be The End of An Important Toronto Maple Leafs Era
John Tavares and Mitch Marner are both set to become UFA's at the end of the year, and I would be shocked if both of them return.
With every passing day that Marner doesn't get traded, it feels like he'll most likely be re-signed, but if things go sideways in the playoffs, or even worse and they don't make the playoffs, he may want out.
Marner grew up in Toronto and all he's known is the Toronto circus, so I'm shocked that he seems so adamant to play here, but it would be very special if they won.
The same thing applies to John Tavares, who left New York and became a villian by signing in Toronto. Tavares wants nothing more than to win as the captain of the Leafs and if it doesn't happen this year, will he want to re-sign or try something new? Or will the Leafs even want to re-sign him, as Auston Matthews is ready to take over the captaincy.
If the Leafs lose and Marner/Tavares move on, things are going to change drastically, however what if they win? Kyle Dubas and Sheldon Keefe set up a beautiful foundation for this team and they never got it done with them in charge, but what if it happens immediately after they leave? This sort of thing happens all of the time in sports, most recently with Steve Yzerman in Tampa Bay.
Yzerman built a fantastic group and right after he left, the team found success and went to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, winning two of them.
This team can't lose another First Round match-up in Game 7 against the Boston Bruins, can they? Who knows what's going to happen but all I can tell you is that change is happening after this year, so we better enjoy the ride.
Marner and Tavares have been two of the best players in Leafs history, and since they haven't won, I don't think we've appreciated them as much. We're going to have William Nylander and Matthews for a while, but I think we need to show more love to a player who scored 40-plus goals and another who gets nearly 100 points every year.
It wasn't that long ago that Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel were the best players in Toronto so things have been pretty good around here, but change is right around the corner.