This era of the Toronto Maple Leafs might be over

Mitch Marner's return on Friday night was a huge story, but Auston Matthews' comments after the game may have marked the end of an era.

Let's go back to 2016 for a second.

The Leafs had just drafted Matthews first-overall and also had Marner and William Nylander in the wings. With veterans such as James Van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri and Leo Komarov supporting the roster, the team went on a magical run making the playoffs, narrowly losing in six games to the Washington Capitals.

As the second wild-card, they had the hardest match-up against the first-place Capitals but battled every night, looking like an up-and-coming juggernaut. Of those six games, five of them went to overtime and the series easily could've flipped in Toronto's favour, had a few bounces gone their way.

Matthews scored four goals, Nylander and Marner had four points each in those six games and the future was bright. Fast-forward a decade later and the fanbase and organization has taken a 180 degree turn. When you look what the next 10 years will bring, there isn't any hope.

Nylander has elite skill but doesn't have that killer-edge in the playoffs. John Tavares is getting slower by the day and looks like a 70 percent version of himself, while the captain says things like this...

I can't think of a more ton-deaf comment than to describe a 6-3 loss while you're fighting for a playoff spot as "fun." The captain spoke about the atmosphere being fun, yet the team delivered one of it's biggest stinkers of the season.

Matthews' comments should make Leafs fans worried

if you're a leader, you don't desribe a loss as fun. I know this is just sports and he's talking about playing against his old buddy Mitch, but you can't say that to the media. You can't display that mentality to the fanbase because they will eat it alive.

Do you think Sidney Crosby or Nathan MacKinnon would describe losing as fun? In what world is it fun to lose 6-3 to the player that everyone hated? How could it be fun to watch the player who was supposed to be the main issue beat them on your home-ice, and for the second time in 10 days?

If Succession's Logan Roy wrote about this team, he would say that this is not a "serious" organization and he'd be absolutely right.

There are some organizations like the Boston Bruins who need a one-year retool in order to get back to the top, but I don't think you can say that about the Leafs. Matthews may be one of the greatest goal-scorers in the NHL but he's clearly not a leader like some of the other captains in the league, which is troublesome.

The Leafs are six points out of a playoff spot and the games aren't getting any easier. If they continue to lose and have these types of comments, it may be time for a serious change.