The Toronto Maple Leafs have had the same core for the past seven years, so what if they just ran it back?
The core of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, and Mitch Marner can't win together, right? They've made the playoffs every year for the past nine years, but somehow fall short in Game 7 every single time. How can this core be so good at winning three out of seven games, but not four?
It's a weird question to ask ourselves when you look back on the history of the Leafs. They have the ability to win playoff games, but for some reason they can't win the most important one. Is it just bad-luck every single year that they somehow can't score in the biggest moments, or is this group of players just not "clutch"?
Winning in the playoffs is obviously harder than the regular season, but it's not like this team is getting swept year after year and are terrible. During Game 6 of the last series against the Florida Panthers, the Leafs shutout their opponent and ended up winning 2-0 in a do-or-die game, so they showed that they have the game to do it. However, in the same series at home during Game 5 and Game 7, they looked like a completely different team.
So to bring it all back to the original question, I think it's possible that Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) look at this group and say "let's run it back." And, here's why.
MLSE may want to run it back with Tavares and Marner
Over the past nine years, nothing has changed. The team has consistently been an 100-point franchise, and then have lost in the playoffs. However, what if they think that next year is different? Matthews, Nylander, Marner and Tavares are some of the best offensive talents in the league, and even though they haven't scored in the biggest games, what if they do it next year?
What if Steven Lorentz scored on that breakaway goal in Game 7 against Florida? Would the Leafs have ended up winning that game and faced Carolina in the Conference Finals? Quite possibly. MLSE may look at this team and say that they are litterally one bounce away from being in a Conference Finals and they would be better suited with the players they currently have and know.
It feels like Marner and Tavares would be open to staying in Toronto, so that may be a better option that the free agents available. It's a lot harder to convince players outside the organization to join the Leafs, so they may look at Marner and Tavares and say that is their best option to win.
Saying goodbye to a former captain and arugably the best right-winger in Leafs history is a tough pill to swallow, so the Board of Directors may prefer to sign them then to worry about the potential of missing the playoffs next year. If Tavares and Marner walk away, it's no guarantee that Sam Bennett and other marquee UFA's want to sign here, so the Leafs could be closer to a fringe playoff team, then a lock.
Obviously, I think it would be insane behaviour to bring this group back, but I've said the same thing for four years now and nothing has changed. From their monumental losses to Columbus, Montreal, Boston, Florida and Tampa, this franchise doesn't learn from their mistakes, so it actually wouldn't be that shocking if they just ran it back again.