The Toronto Maple Leafs Are Awesome: What Is Everyone So Mad About?

Dec 20, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs President and Alternate Governor Brendan Shanahan watched the game Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

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The Toronto Maple Leafs Are Awesome: What Is Everyone So Mad About?

Since the day that the Leafs drafted Auston Matthews, they have made the playoffs in every single season.

After playing just one single series between 2004 and 2016, I think that is pretty damned good.

Everyone says "oh it's been eight years, they just can't win" but did they forget about the "Five Year Rebuild?" You know, the thing said so often about rebuilding teams that it is a cliche?

It is accepted practice that it takes five years to build a contender from scratch. The Leafs happened to make the playoffs in year one of their rebuild. That was great then, not so much now since everyone uses that period to make this current one sound so much worse than it is.

The Leafs lost their third series as a True Contender this season. The five years between 2016 and 2021 shouldn't count against them, as they were a young team that was learning.

If, like Colorado, they had struggled to make the playoffs during the rebuilding years, the Leafs would get more leeway and credit right now for how good they are.

But I also Have another point I'd like to make:

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