End of Era: Toronto Maple Leafs Will Finally See Change
No More Running It Back after This Playoff Failure... It's Time To Change
As the late great Owen Hart said, “Enough is Enough and It Is Time for a Change.”
The change with this Toronto Maple Leafs group should have come long after their previous Game 7 failures. The Core Four or Five, however you look at it, are 0-7 in series deciding games after a 5-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Round 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
There were so many chances for management, whether under Kyle Dubas, Lou Lamoriello, or Brad Treliving as the General Manager, with Brendan Shanahan leading the charge as the President of Hockey Operations, to make changes to this roster to make them playoff-ready.
However, as Full Press Media wrote last week before Game 6, maybe some of these playoffs are just not built to play in the playoffs. As Billie Jean King said, “Pressure is Privilege,” and this group can’t handle the pressure of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Look, early on, it was easy to say run it back with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner. They took strides in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Washington Capitals but weren’t ready to win.
They lost to the Boston Bruins in Game 7 in the following two seasons. In 2018, they rallied from a 3-1 deficit to force a Game 7 and were no-shows. Then, in 2019, they were up 3-2 in the series and lost Games 6 and 7, showing no killer instinct to knock out their rival.
In the bubble, the Maple Leafs rallied to force a Game 5 in the play-in round against the Columbus Blue Jackets before losing again, not showing up with the series on the line.
The following year, 2021, was supposed to be the year the Maple Leafs won the Canadian Division. They went up 3-1 against the Montreal Canadiens, even without John Tavares in the lineup. But they had chances to win the series, losing Games 5 and 6 in overtime before absolutely getting dominated in Game 7.
This was the time to break up the Core Four or Five. There were reports that Shanahan and Dubas were thinking of doing something at the time, but once again, they ran it back heading into the 2021-22 season.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and getting a similar result. That was the Toronto Maple Leafs. At some point, management needed to realize this group could not get it done in the big moment with their playoff lives on the line and close out a series, especially in Game 7.
Until then, the Toronto Maple Leafs had not won a first-round playoff series since 2004, the tail end of the late 1990s—early 2000s glory years, so Shanahan and Dubas hoped for a different result against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022.
Unfortunately, the Toronto Maple Leafs were again brought to a Game 7. This time, Nick Paul ended the Maple Leafs' season as the calls to make a change got louder and louder. While there were cosmetic changes, there were no changes to the Core Four.
While the Maple Leafs, thanks to Tavares, reached Round 2 in 2023 and won a playoff series for the first time since 2004, they ran into a red-hot Florida Panthers team that showed them what it takes to win in the playoffs.
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The Panthers changed their team, moving Mackenzie Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau to Calgary for Matthew Tkachuk. Florida was unafraid to change their identity with new head coach Paul Maurice after being swept by the Lightning in Round 2 of 2022.
But the Maple Leafs management stood pat with Marner, Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, and Morgan Rielly. Former Leafs GM Kyle Dubas thought change was needed after 2023, but Shanahan still believed these players could get it done in this group.
Dubas decided to go elsewhere, leaving to be the GM in Pittsburgh with Brad Treliving coming over from the Calgary Flames. He extended Auston Matthews and William Nylander, but did not move Mitch Marner before his no-movement clause kicked in.
After another good regular season, the Maple Leafs saw the Bruins in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. After showing heart to rally from a 3-1 deficit in the series to force Game 7, they again fell short on a mental lapse as David Pastrnak ended the series in overtime.
That was the last game for Sheldon Keefe, who showed signs he could adjust as the Maple Leafs played great defence in Games 5-7, but in Games 1-4, it was lacklustre, especially in Games 3 and 4 on home ice, where they were embarrassed.
Everyone was tired of hearing about the learning lessons, the execution, and the details of the game. Most players felt they were close, but Morgan Rielly said it best when he said, “We are not that close to winning.”
This was an honest statement from a long-time member of the Maple Leafs who had experienced the heartbreak of Game 7. Rielly's statement is spot on after what happened in Round 2 against the Panthers.
The Maple Leafs were outshot 12-2 on home ice in Games 5 and 7, showing no effort or heart in must-win games. These were legacy games, and the players showed, primarily the Core 4, what their legacy would be in Toronto. It was a team that could get to that final game of a series and come up short every time.
These players accepted losing in the playoffs. They also showed they do not have what it takes to go the extra mile to win that final game. Instead of showing it was a different team, the Maple Leafs showed they are who we thought they were: a team that can’t get it done when it matters most.
There was a reason why the Maple Leafs wanted to trade for Mikko Rantanen at the deadline. However, whether they tried or did not try, Mitch Marner, who was in his right, said no using his no-move protection. It was clear that GM Brad Treliving saw a chance to add to the team, but again, for this team, it was about playing with your buddies and not winning.
Now, the Maple Leafs will be making changes. Marner and John Tavares are free agents, and one or both will not be back next season. There will be even more changes, especially in the style of play. Head coach Craig Berube got buy-in from most of the team, but needs the whole team to buy in.
Narratives can change, but the Toronto Maple Leafs group are 0-7 in series-clinching games and has lost their last seven Game 7s. Toronto is tied with the Colorado Avalanche for that dubious NHL record.
But real change will come on the roster and maybe at the President of Hockey Operations. Could this be the year Shanahan is finally let go, as ownership says enough is enough with the losses in Game 7?
Whatever happens this offseason, it is the end of an era in Toronto for this group of Maple Leafs players. After another disappointing loss in Game 7, they once again showed what they are made of.
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