The Toronto Maple Leafs have clinched their ninth consecutive berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are one point away from clinching their first division title since 2002, but that does not guarantee them anything. In those eight previous appearances, they have won only one series. Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving knows the pressure is on, but is confident this group can block out previous playoff disasters.
“Listen, that’s part of the marketplace here,” Treliving told NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger. “So, whether it’s that, you get used to it here on a daily basis that things are noisy. It’s part of what makes this place special, the passion of the people here. The thing is, we can’t do anything about what’s happened in the past. Our focus is just about controlling today.”
Treliving continued, “That’s all you can really control, right? You can’t worry about what’s going to happen next week. You can’t worry about what happened yesterday. All you really can control is what you’re doing in the present, and that’s going to be our focus moving forward.”
The Maple Leafs may face provincial rival Ottawa Senators in the first round, setting up the true disaster situation. Can they overcome their past issues in what could be their final attempt?
Is this the end of the Maple Leafs era?
At the end of this season, Mitch Marner and John Tavares’ contracts are expiring. The Maple Leafs have not had playoff success since giving Tavares a massive seven-year deal in 2018. But they have elite talent and should be able to make a run with this group. If Marner or Tavares leaves, it will be the end of an era. Can they take advantage of their last dance?
There have been plenty of other years where the Maple Leafs had great regular seasons and came in as playoff favorites. In 2021, they finished with 28 more points than the Montreal Canadiens. They took a 3-1 series lead in the opening round against the Habs but lost Games 5 and 6 in overtime. A Game 7 loss finished off the most disappointing collapse of this era.
That is why the matchup with the Senators is a potential disaster for the Maple Leafs. Not only will they finish with a much better record than Ottawa, but they will never live down losing to one of their biggest rivals. The Senators are full of playoff rookies with nothing to lose. The Maple Leafs are full of aging veterans with everything to lose.
