My whole argument is that they aren’t contenders. You are the one who said otherwise.
I also admitted in that post that the Leafs underachieved this season overall so I don’t get why you’re bringing it up as some sort of argument in your favour?
But that's just your opinion. It's not the widely shared opinion of most Leaf fans (who post regularly on the mains) and other fans who consistently list the Leafs as one of the more talented teams who should be contending for Cups with their talent levels.
If the widespread belief is the Leafs are good enough (on paper) to contend, and someone says they've underachieved because they keep flaming out, you then can't call it a disingenuous statement just because your minority opinion is they're not a contender.
Again, if *you* don't think they're a contender and thus, don't think losing 4 years in the row in the first round is underachieving, that's fine. But the comment you originally quoted wasn't directed at that opinion, it was addressed toward this larger belief on here, and in the media, that the Leafs are one of the teams capable of contending.
I do have a question for you -- why don't you believe they're a contender? Their top six is one of the best in the league, their defense might have some question marks defensively, but is probably top 10 in the league at transition/offense, and while he seems to be a scapegoat every time they lose, Andersen's a legitimate top 10 (maybe even top 5) goalie. How is that not a team that "on paper" should be a contender?