The Maple Leafs are once again searching for answers after losing one of the franchise’s most important games ever.
This time, they were blown out on home ice in game 7 against the Florida Panthers — and there’s no reason to believe they will be able to get over the hump with this current roster.
“There’s no running it back. Not after this. Not after maybe the most embarrassing loss of this era, which came four nights after the other most embarrassing loss of this era. Not after letting a 2-0 series lead melt away with four losses in five games. Not after the core of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares failed again when it mattered. Not after seven tries with that core,” Jonas Siegel of The Athletic wrote.
The Leafs absolutely fell apart once again, dropping game 7 on home ice and effectively ending an era of their hockey team’s construction. John Tavares and Mitch Marner, two members of the team’s “core four”, are both set to be free agents and draw attention on the open market.
It’s a wild statement that letting both of those players go might truly be the best for the team, but that might just be the reality they are faced with.
The Leafs are one of the best regular season teams in the NHL, but once again are left grasping for answers after an embarrassing departure from the playoffs.
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Time will tell if the Leafs will be able to get out of this seemingly inescapable pit of mediocrity.
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