This Has to be the End

 

From Athlon Sports

Here we are, after a Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers—embarrassed on home ice. This has to be the end of the core in Toronto. There’s no way Mitch Marner can return on a new deal with the Leafs. Toronto has to cut its losses and let Marner walk in free agency. When Marner signs with another organization, Leafs fans will understandably be angry. Still, the anger shouldn’t be directed at Mitch—it needs to be aimed at Brendan Shanahan, who fired Kyle Dubas after he hinted at breaking up the core two years ago, following the loss to Florida 2 years ago.

I believe the Leafs will move on from Marner, but we may have also seen John Tavares play his final game as a Maple Leaf. That said, I would bring him back on a short-term deal, because the guy can still produce, despite what some Leafs fans might think. Tavares had 74 points in 75 games this season. If you can sign him to a short-term deal at around $5 million per season, he would be the perfect third-line center for the Maple Leafs.

I’ve seen Auston Matthews receive criticism—and it’s deserved—but he isn’t going anywhere, so accept it. His game is only going to improve, and you can see that growth in his mindset. Go back to Game 6 in Florida: he finally breaks through and scores the winning goal. After the game, his response to the media was, “Job’s not done.” He knows that means nothing if they don’t win the next one. After Game 5 and Game 7, he held himself and the group accountable. We didn’t see that in previous playoff losses; back then, we just kept hearing him say, “We should all be back.”

After losses, when Mitch Marner speaks to the media, you never hear him say, “I need to be better.” He always shifts the blame onto others. Last night was a perfect example of Marner's shortcomings as a leader. At one point, he’s yelling at the bench, telling them to wake up, but on the very next shift, he turns the puck over, leading to another Florida goal. Mitch, instead of yelling at your teammates, last night was the perfect time to take over the game and drag your team back into it. That’s what a leader does.

Let’s go back to Game 5. Who decided to make a no-look backhand pass into the middle of the ice? Was that you or your teammates? Who decided not to backcheck and try to make up for that mistake—was that you or your teammates? Hold yourself accountable, just once in your career, please.

This summer will be very interesting in Leaf Land because it looks like the long-overdue changes are finally coming. As for his first season behind the bench, I think Craig Berube did a great job as Leafs coach. This team was projected to be fighting for a wild-card spot, but we saw them battle every night, deservedly win the Atlantic Division, and take the defending champs to a Game 7 in the second round.

This offseason, I feel Toronto needs to add players who can elevate their game when it matters. Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett—would you like to play for the Leafs?

Thanks to every reader who followed the blog this season. I’ll now be turning the focus of this blog to the Toronto Blue Jays.