The Toronto Maple Leafs Game 7 fiasco has taken me about a day to process before I can intelligibly write about it.
I wanted to find a reasonable explanation that went beyond the simplistic view of the Core Four not getting the job done. Yes, that’s precisely what happened. Anyone who watched the series, in particular, Games 5 and 7 could see that.
The top players on the Leafs’ roster just didn’t get the job done. You can rely on all the metrics you want, but at the end of the day, it’s what’s on the scoreboard that truly matters. The scoreboard doesn’t lie.
The Leafs fell woefully short. End of story.
We can get into complex explanations regarding 5-on-5 scoring, zone-time possession, and the psychological aspects of playing a battle-tested team. But the fact is that the simplest answer is usually the right one.
That’s exactly what Craig Berube provided following the game. The Maple Leafs’ bench boss stated:
"“I don’t think the moment’s too big for them. For me, it’s all between the ears. It’s a mindset. These guys are capable of doing it. You just go to execute it. And, we didn’t execute it.”"
Thank you for the honesty. Sometimes, admitting something so painfully obvious requires a great deal of guts.
Moreover, Berube’s comments were refreshingly honest, going beyond the “I don't know” narrative that followed Game 5.
With Berube’s honest and forthcoming statement, the question becomes: If the Maple Leafs are capable of “doing it,” why didn’t they?
They put the clamps down on the Panthers in Game 6 in Florida. Auston Matthews carried the Leafs in that game. Max Pacioretty drove the dagger home.
So, why couldn’t the Leafs just put forth another similar effort and close out the series?
Perhaps the answer to that question will remain among life’s eternal questions like: Did the captain of the Titanic really cry?
Toronto Maple Leafs had too many “passengers”
Like Berube, Auston Matthews had a Freudian slip. He let the cat out of the bag by declaring that the team had “too many passengers.”
In particular, Matthews stated:
"“I thought we were ready to play. It felt like we were in a good mindset. I thought the first 10 minutes, they came out strong. The next 10 minutes I thought we controlled the play. Then, we just had too many passengers throughout the rest of the game.”"
Matthews threw his teammates under the bus in a roundabout way. But he was brutally honest about the reality of the situation. Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander, and the entire bottom six, did not play with the urgency needed in a Game 7 against the defending Stanley Cup champions.
I surmise the Panthers sensed it and moved in for the kill in the second period.
Ultimately, the Toronto Maple Leafs, as they are currently constructed, are a weak team mentally. Craig Berube did a good job of turning that around. But the fact of the matter is that this team needs to get tougher mentally.
That’s something that will not happen with this core. The Cour Four must go and with a hungrier core in place. Perhaps guys that have been banging around the league for a few years with nothing to show for it might be the supporting cast that Matthews needs to finally get over the hump.
The next few weeks leading up to the draft will be indicative of where the Toronto Maple Leafs will be headed for the next five years or so. Or, at least until Matthews’ contract expires.