The Toronto Maple Leafs' playoff hopes have been smashed to pieces, making it their first time in a decade, 2016 to be exact. While disappointing could be an understatement for how the season has gone, the team could only now start what could be a rough patch of seasons to come -- something Leafs fans have seen before.
Narrowing it down, the Leafs really struggled in the 2010's, most notably the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins in the monumental collapse. Before beginning their impressive playoff streak that has now ended, the Toronto Maple Leafs were basically where they are now, bottom-feeders of their respective division, with the exception of the 2013 playoffs, where they placed third in the division.
The early to mid-2010's Leafs rosters were not a pretty sight, as those teams mainly relied on the play of Phil Kessel, who was an all-star in three of his six seasons as a Leaf and experienced some of the worst Leafs rosters, in terms of standings. Not to mention Joffrey Lupul, James Van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri were virtually their core forwards for a chunk of those seasons.
The current day Leafs find themselves in the same position, with a main core that consists of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies and John Tavares, surrounded by a few depth pieces and some AHL players with a front row ticket to the bottom of the division. While it doesn't look too good compared to their past decade of placing near or at the top of the Atlantic division, being at the bottom could benefit the future of the Leafs.
Why a stretch of non-contending seasons could do good for the Leafs
While it's likely not a choice the Leafs want to endure, the reason being it would obviously extend their Stanley Cup drought, it would allow the team to do a refresh and maybe even a factory reset. That window would allow them to develop their young prospects and possibly snag a couple of lottery picks, similar to what they did with Matthews and Mitch Marner, even Nylander, who was actually drafted eighth overall, but still a top-10 pick nonetheless.
By missing the playoffs for another season or two, it would allow the Leafs to load up on young stars either from the Marlies or give recent draftees who have been dominating a chance in the NHL. Although it would go against the odds of Matthews, Nylander and Tavares winning a Cup within that timespan, there would still be an opportunity for them to play alongside the next generation of promising NHLers for the Leafs. If push does come to shove and either of them is dealt elsewhere, it could also help the Leafs bring in a haul for those players.
Again, looking back at the early to mid-2010's Leafs, they only had a select number of actual players who put up numbers. Until around the time Matthews was almost ready to enter the league in 2015, the Leafs dealt Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins and received a haul for him. The Leafs had already drafted Nylander, were soon to add Marner as well and had some talent already on the roster in Kadri, Bozak, Van Riemsdyk, preparing them for hopes of a Cup in the future.
By now missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Leafs could very well see a rough set of seasons to come, just like the 2010's Leafs, but it will benefit them by giving them a refresh and a step away from the annual playoff disappointments. While Leafs Nation would possibly prefer an actual contending team, all NHL teams go through a rough stretch of seasons. The Leafs won't be the first, but rough seasons will give them space to align their priorities and make a culture change.