In Toronto, it was another early exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Maple Leafs. Another first round exit.
Toronto has not won a first round series since, well, forever, in sports timelines.
Maple Leafs president, Brendan Shanahan, said on Tuesday, that general manager Kyle Dubas and coach Sheldon Keefe would be back for 2022-23 season.
“I think it’s important to state that I see both of them (Keefe and Dubas) as being extremely important in getting us to the next level,” Shanahan said.
“We share in everybody’s frustration in not getting the job done. Certainly as we look forward to next year, there’s always going to be new faces. That being said, we will not be making changes just simply for the sake of saying we made changes.”
Hard to imagine that both positions are not on a short leash.
“I think that the regular season and the playoff series, the way that the group played was different,” Dubas said. “I didn’t feel in Games 5, 6 or 7 that we were on our heels or reacting to another team dictating to us the way the game was going to go. I didn’t feel like in the previous years where we were passive.”
This postseason looked to be the breakthrough for the Leafs, they held a 3-2 series lead before coughing up two straight losses in a 4-3 series defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I have tremendous belief in our group and continue to have tremendous belief in our group and the effort that they gave us,” Keefe said on NHL.com. “In particular, I felt that we really stepped up and leaned in in key moments and pushed and were not afraid of losing. We were aggressive in our approach and the mindset of our team that we built during the regular season, that came out in the playoffs against a very tough opponent. We did not get the results we want and that stings, mostly because of the belief we have in the group and what we accomplished together. I believe that progress was made, even though it’s hard to feel that way because we’re here again talking at the end of the first round.”
Toronto accumulated 54 wins and 115 points in the regular season and still managed to find a way to make an early exit from the playoffs.
“It’s easy to say you believe at the beginning of the year, that you believe when you’ve won,” Dubas said, “but I think in these moments where you have not reached the potential that everyone knows that you have and that you especially internally know that you have, that’s when true belief is measured. I do believe in the group.”
The Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews was asked about the chances of Toronto winning a series.
“Yeah we do,” Matthews said. “I believe it. Everybody in this room believes it. I don’t think we can really concern ourselves with the opinions of others, the media, fans and what other people think. I know deep down in this room we all believe in each other. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but I don’t think that belief has ever wavered.”
That creaking sound is the slide of the window adjusting on the Maple Leafs’ chances.
Jack Campbell, Jason Spezza, and Mark Giordano are all eligible unrestricted free agents at the conclusion of the season.
“Winning here means everything to me,” Campbell said. “I love the city of Toronto, I love the fans, the support and my teammates are absolutely incredible, the coaching staff, really everything.”
Spezza and Giordano are both 38.
“Everyone knows I’m from Toronto, I love it here, I’ve loved my time here,” Giordano said on NHL.com. “I’ll talk to my agent in the next week and go from there. I don’t think it’s a secret I’ve enjoyed my time here.
“I feel pretty good about my game and feel like I’m a guy who can also help young guys along the way. I felt good, keep training hard and hopefully keep going for a few more years.”
In the meantime, it’s another early off season, and Toronto fans’ patience is wearing thin.
You must be logged in to post a comment.