Change is coming to the Toronto Maple Leafs this offseason after one other playoff disappointment noticed them get embarrassed on dwelling ice in Sport 7 of their second-round collection in opposition to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
The Maple Leafs formally introduced that crew president Brendan Shanahan is not going to be returning after 11 years with the group. It’s the first of what may very well be a number of seismic adjustments to the membership that has constantly fallen brief within the playoffs over the higher a part of the previous decade.
Shanahan’s legacy with Toronto is difficult as a result of it introduced lots of good, particularly to start with.
When he joined the entrance workplace, the Maple Leafs had been the joke of the league. They struggled to seek out their method and largely floated aimlessly round in circles like a directionless ship.
Shanahan helped change that.
He introduced a way of course and started rebuilding. In three straight drafts from 2014-16, the Maple Leafs landed William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews, whereas additionally including John Tavares in free company in July 2018.
These gamers, ultimately often known as the “core 4,” helped flip the Maple Leafs right into a constant contender, however that ended up being their ceiling. These playoff appearances usually resulted in frustration and embarrassment as an alternative of glory.
Regardless of being among the many highest-paid forwards within the league, the aforementioned core group has constantly come up brief within the playoffs. In 9 playoff appearances for the reason that begin of the 2016-17 season, the Maple Leafs have gained solely two playoff collection and by no means gained greater than seven video games in a single playoff run. They by no means even acquired midway to a championship (16 wins) in a single 12 months.
The forwards deserve criticism for his or her lack of offense in huge video games, and the entrance workplace deserves criticism for constantly operating it again with the identical core group. Not supplying them with the appropriate help gamers or being keen to make robust adjustments finally price them.
Shanahan was put in control of the group to assist deliver the Stanley Cup again to Toronto for the primary time since 1967. He by no means acquired them over the hump, and that could be a huge letdown, particularly contemplating the excessive expectations at the beginning of his tenure.
The longer the Maple Leafs’ drought will get, the extra essential change turns into. Extra should be performed concerning Toronto’s on-ice roster within the coming weeks and months.
