The definition of the word “insanity” is trying the same thing over and over again no matter the outcome.
For the ninth straight season in the “Core 4” era in Toronto, the year would once again end familiarly to seasons prior, ultimately not getting the job done when it mattered the most.
This season, the heartbreak had come from the hands of the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers as they had demolished the Leafs 6-1 in game 7, putting an end to the Blue-and-White’s 2024-25 season in the most predictable way possible.
Yet again another no-show from the Maple Leafs’ top dogs that has only added to the list of disappointments over the past nine seasons, but this time, there should be no more of the “run this core back” mentality.
Sunday night’s game 7 loss has yet again confirmed the core’s inability to lead this team to the ultimate goal of drinking out of Lord Stanley’s mug, with them being the only excuse left on why this team has struggled to make a strong playoff push in almost a decade of hockey.
Two series wins in the past nine seasons and being 0-7 in series-deciding games is nowhere close to where this team was predicted to be early on in the so-called “Shanaplan” even with the constant backing from management on the players that have been most of the problem this entire time.
Team President Brendan Shanahan has been at the forefront of this movement always being on the side of keeping this core intact no matter the negatives, and now that could possibly be the reason the Leafs don’t retain him as his contract expires this offseason.
Other excuses, such as the coach or the general manager, have been somewhat scapegoats in the past, such as Sheldon Keefe and Kyle Dubas, which led to their firings, which brought in the likes of Brad Treliving and Craig Berube to shake up the team.
The Defense and goaltending had also been problems of the past which has led to the signing of players such as Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman Larsson, and Anthony Stolarz who had all contributed to the Leafs having one of the best defensive core and goaltending tandems that the team has had in the past two decades, but apparently that wasn’t enough.
At this point, many have been delaying the inevitable, and with two of Toronto’s star players set to become free agents this offseason, moving off of one or possibly both is the only direction the team can go for real change.
Even with both of their underwhelming play in the series Auston Matthews and William Nylander look to be on the safe side of the table, with both of them being locked up with hefty contracts, while the two free agents in Mitch Marner and John Tavares could have possibly played their last game as Toronto Maple Leafs.
Marner would finish his postseason with 13 points in 13 games but would once again be unable to provide under pressure when the series had become tighter which has been a recurring factor when talking about his play during the postseason.
For Tavares, he mustered seven points in 13 games which would not be enough either as the points would start to dry up as the postseason continued only putting up two points in seven games against the Panthers.
Even with Matthews and Nylander being on contracts that show that they will continue with the team, they also are part of the reason why the Leafs are heading home early again.
Matthews was only able to put up three goals in 13 games this postseason while Nylander, who had the best statistics for the Leafs, also disappeared later in the series against Florida.
A very underwhelming postseason for all of the big four players.
With the current situation that this Leafs team is in, moving off of these two big name free-agent players in Marner and Tavares and spreading their cap hits out around the depth of the forward group could possibly be the smart move.
With the so-called “all in” mentality at the trade deadline for Toronto the past couple of seasons, free agency looks to be the only option to add talent as the Leafs currently have no first-round picks in the next three seasons.
Names such as Brock Boeser, Brock Nelson, and yes, Brad Marchand can all be players the Leafs could throw money at to replace the likes of Marner and Tavares this offseason to change up the group.
Also, the Leafs will have to shift their focus to Matthew Knies as he will be a restricted free agent this offseason and will be worth a pretty penny.
Player such as David Kampf, Nick Robertson and Calle Jarnkrok can all be players the Maple Leafs can find a way to move off of, to be able to open more money to spend on other bigger name players such as extending Knies and other free agents the Leafs could have interest in.
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All and all, it is looking like the Leafs will finally make the change they have been procrastinating this entire time, for better or for worse, but at this point, there is no other option.
It looks like the “Core 4” era in Toronto is officially over and with an offseason with more questions than answers, Leafs’ fans will be in for an exciting summer.
