I agree that fans are going to be jaded and I would be right there jumping on the bandwagon if there wernt so many reasons why the post season has been difficult that are outside the bounds of where the blame is being directed. Fans are so angry that they are actually blaming the good parts of the team while ignoring the obvious problems, especially because two of the problems at the top of the list are legitimate excuses that dont allow fans to vent at the source of their problems.
(longish post incoming on the situation)
1. Has Toronto faced the best goaltending out of any first round team in the first round? The answer to this is undoubtedly yes, not because it was the Leafs playing in the first round but because they just happened to face the best goaltender of that particular playoffs in the first round. Three years ago, and even though they didnt win the cup, Rask's .934 all the way to the final was easily the best playoff goalie performance that year and maybe the best of his career. Did it suck to have to face him in the first round? Yea. He was the difference in a close series. 2 years ago, Korpisalo went on the best stretch of his career against both Toronto and Tampa playing way above his numbers while saddled with an underperforming Jackets team and even setting the playoff save record against the Bolts in a much closer series than the 5 game length showed (all games 1 goal games held together by him) Did it suck to face him in the first round? For sure. Last year, Price comes out of nowhere after a rough year and leads the Cinderella Habs to the final playing 30 points above his regular season. It sucked to face all these guys but it happened and the fact remains we have never had the better goalie in a series during this era.
2. Has Toronto faced the most adversity of any team due to losing players the last few years? There should be no denying this, especially last year when we had our best player (Matthews) with a bad wrist that looked ike it was affecting his shot and needed surgury, our Captain (who was coming into the playoffs on a tear) suffering a horrifying season ending injury in the first period of the first game, losing our best playoff dman (Muzzin) for the second year in a row during the series and our big playoff pickup (Foligno) missing games and playing hurt the entire series. 4 of the ten best players on the team were compromised last year to go along with being at a disadvantage in net.
These facts are truly maddening to those that are looking for blood after another first round loss.
Despite all that, run of play the last two years under Keefe has gone very much in favor of the Leafs. Whether its shots or scoring chances, the Leafs have excellent numbers that even exceed their playoff numbers and rank as one of the best teams of the first round in these areas. Keefe is actually one of the last people to blame (unless you really want to get on him about the PP). For all those decrying that "D wins championships" during the Babcock years, the Leafs have become one of the better defensive teams in the league to go along with their offensive firepower. In many ways, the last two years resemble what the Pens and Oilers have gone through with goaltending differential, depth issues and bad luck stopping the better team from winning a playoff series two years in a row.
One thing I really have to shake my head at is how Covid greatly affected the salary cap giving ammo to those who claimed Matthews and Marner shouldnt have received the contracts they did, despite the fact Matthews has largely lived up to the contract and Marner is pretty damn close(Nylander scoring some points against Price saved him the outrage but he was absolutely savaged in the past despite living up to his deal). Nurse and Hamilton getting close to 11 million each a season (which probably would have happened without the flat cap) would certainly have put things in better perspective. The facts coming out that Matthews needed surgery has quieted things a bit for Matthews and so the whipping boy left would be Marner who did have some rough parts in the playoffs but was overall a net plus for the team and certainly doesn't deserve the ludicrous treatment he's been getting from the fans (including somehow being labeled personally responsible for negotiating his contract when he 99% wasnt involved in) but even then, how did he perform?
For straight up production, Marner had 8 points in 12 games the last two years against said elite goaltending with an injured partner half the time. He also holds a positive goal differential during this time (a sign of just how good defensively he has been despite being snakebitten). Is that really so bad? Should he be the player folks are picking on to the point Leafs fans are rallying around him not making team Canada!? The Leafs top players take away all the other teams top checkers so why is he getting crapped on so hard for his 8 points in 12 games when depth scoring was so brutal.
Just check out this:
Matthews/Marner combined last 2 years vs mostly up against supposedly the best D in the league and one of the best defensive centers in the game:
Combined TOI: 508 minutes in 12 games
Points: 19
Combined even-strength goal differential: +4
Collection of underperforming depth players (Mikheyev, Brooks, Gauthier, Johnsson, Clifford, Nash, Engvall, Folgino, Thornton, Simmonds, Kapanen, ) against secondary players on those teams:
Combined TOI: 685 minutes in 12 games
Points: 6
Combined even-strength goal differential: -6
I think I know which direction the blame should be heading in (and here is the opening for Dubas criticism for not surrounding the Leafs stars with the right depth players).
But even after the injuries, the bizarre goaltending draws and underperforming depth players, how could you not blame the stupid giveaways as more of a reason the Leafs crapped out than any perceived problems with Matthews/Marner. Whether its Gally giving away a 2 on 0 in overtime to blow a game or Dermott bumbling another game away or Sandin coughing up backbreaking goals on giveaways or other examples, its hard to give your stars a chance to win games when your depth is helping out the other team so much....but I know...Marner accidentally flipped the puck over the glass.....how awful.
Quick thought to end here. How the hell did Stamkos, Point and Cup Finals MVP Kucherov win the cup last year (8-4 to close the playoffs) scoring a combined 30 points in their last 12 games while Nylander, Marner and Matthews combined for 31 points in 12 games the last two years (Toronto goes 5-7) and couldnt get out of the first round?
I think a healthy team that always wins the goaltending battle and had good depth scoring that didnt give games away had something to do with it.
Some of ya'll need to stop being so silly.
/rant over.
