What happens if the Toronto Maple Leafs don't go deep in the playoffs?

[NVious]

The Shanna Plan stays on track. Give Marner his $14.5m x 8. And Tavares $9.5 x 3

Step 1.Acquire good players
Step 2.Pay good players
Step 3.??????
Step 4.Profit

 

[Sypher04]

They're around their typical spot, 4th or 5th best team in East by record. This time with worse analytics but better goaltending (new coach, play more defensively). Hoping to get a good performance out of their big guys in Postseason and that Defense/Goaltending can outperform their cap allocation with so much tied upfront. Guess we'll see if it's any different. The East looks pretty wide open.

2nd best team in the East by record now.

They were technically 4th at the time you wrote this point, but with games in hand, they were always likely to leapfrog.

 

[NyQuil]

Want to point out those threads? The only threads made about the Leafs this year have all been negative. That is factual. Not a single Leaf fan is parading around like this is the year.

Obvious thread is obvious

We're winning the f***ing cup this year boys

GDT: Post in thread 'Final Pre-season game Detroit @ Toronto - Saturday 7pm'

Oct 5, 2024

We're winning the f***ing cup this year boys

• HockeyVirus

• 
• 
• 

Leafs are winning the cup this year

GDT: Post in thread 'HFBoards GDT 10/21/2024 | Only 1 Game | Tampa @ Toronto'

Oct 21, 2024

Leafs are winning the cup this year

• HockeyVirus

Great coaching, team is playing a grind defense first game and prioritizing getting the puck to the net and high danger shots. Lots of potential in goal.

This is the year

GDT: Post in thread 'HFBoards GDT: 10/16/2024 | 4 games deluxe ultra premium games.'

Oct 16, 2024

As time goes on, the excuses are all being eliminated.

One of these springs we’ll have no choice but to confront the real problems with the team when it comes to playoff hockey.

Great coaching, team is playing a grind defense first game and prioritizing getting the puck to the net and high danger shots. Lots of potential in goal.

This is the year

• HockeyVirus

This is the Leafs year

Post in thread 'Who is winning the cup this year? (No BS thread)'

Oct 29, 2024

This is the Leafs year

• HockeyVirus

• 
• 

It really is different this year. Leafs are winning the cup

GDT: Post in thread 'HFBoards GDT: 12/18/2024 | 5 games'

Dec 18, 2024

It really is different this year. Leafs are winning the cup

• HockeyVirus

• 
• 

This team with a strong TDL is a cup winner.

GDT: Post in thread 'TOR @ DET Sat Dec 14'

Dec 14, 2024

This is the most impotent offense this team has had in the Matthews era.

This team with a strong TDL is a cup winner. We need to do what Tampa did the other year and buy a third line for the next few years (Coleman and Goodrow)

• HockeyVirus

• 

This really is the Leafs year. Every team in the east has either regressed terribly or have injuries to key players ending their seasons

Post in thread 'Concern Matthew Tkachuk Season could be over waiting on Medical Results'

Sunday at 1:46 PM

This really is the Leafs year. Every team in the east has either regressed terribly or have injuries to key players ending their seasons

• HockeyVirus

 

[Video Nasty]

Nothing. There’s no Wizard of Oz to go to for what they need.

 

[Strangle]

What happens if the Maple Leafs don't go deep into the playoffs? What changes will they make? What will be the consequences? How ill the fan base react?

Nothing will happen

 

[Ratsreign]

Auston would have to wait another year for a chance to be on Fallon or Kimmel’s late night show. They probably would just ask him questions about hanging with Bieber the whole interview, anyway.

 

[Sypher04]

Yes I'm sure a player like Rantanen would be so eager to join the Maple Leafs.

Great plan.

Sure one cannot just assume a player would be willing to sign anywhere because they want them to, but the idea Rantanen could sign with the Leafs is not even remotely far fetched if they made him a competitive offer

From a cap perspective Marner would have to be out obviously

 

[LaCarriere]

Sure one cannot just assume a player would be willing to sign anywhere because they want them to, but the idea Rantanen could sign with the Leafs is not even remotely far fetched if they made him a competitive offer

From a cap perspective Marner would have to be out obviously

Unless Marner is looking for a change of scenery, it makes more sense to just bring him back, even with a 14M cah hit. Hes hardly the problem in Toronto, and Rantanen has struggled early on in Carolina. That may be a backup option if for some reason Marner leaves.

 

[Gillings]

Incoming Evans+Armia for a 1st and a prospect

 

[Magic Mittens]

GDT: Post in thread 'Final Pre-season game Detroit @ Toronto - Saturday 7pm'

Oct 5, 2024

We're winning the f***ing cup this year boys

• HockeyVirus

• 
• 
• 

GDT: Post in thread 'HFBoards GDT 10/21/2024 | Only 1 Game | Tampa @ Toronto'

Oct 21, 2024

Leafs are winning the cup this year

• HockeyVirus

GDT: Post in thread 'HFBoards GDT: 10/16/2024 | 4 games deluxe ultra premium games.'

Oct 16, 2024

As time goes on, the excuses are all being eliminated.

One of these springs we’ll have no choice but to confront the real problems with the team when it comes to playoff hockey.

Great coaching, team is playing a grind defense first game and prioritizing getting the puck to the net and high danger shots. Lots of potential in goal.

This is the year

• HockeyVirus

Post in thread 'Who is winning the cup this year? (No BS thread)'

Oct 29, 2024

This is the Leafs year

• HockeyVirus

• 
• 

GDT: Post in thread 'HFBoards GDT: 12/18/2024 | 5 games'

Dec 18, 2024

It really is different this year. Leafs are winning the cup

• HockeyVirus

• 
• 

GDT: Post in thread 'TOR @ DET Sat Dec 14'

Dec 14, 2024

This is the most impotent offense this team has had in the Matthews era.

This team with a strong TDL is a cup winner. We need to do what Tampa did the other year and buy a third line for the next few years (Coleman and Goodrow)

• HockeyVirus

• 

Post in thread 'Concern Matthew Tkachuk Season could be over waiting on Medical Results'

Sunday at 1:46 PM

This really is the Leafs year. Every team in the east has either regressed terribly or have injuries to key players ending their seasons

• HockeyVirus

Yikes, it's even worse that he's one of the poster's doing it and then asking me LOL

 

[Chuck Testa]

Posting the same quote over and over again and thinking it's relevant

Posted it once but w/e.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

 

[rojac]

MLSE and the teams front office (which could change based on the board and MLSE president Keith Pelley) will decide what changes that want to make and try to make them. What a bunch of fans on a hockey board think will be done is completely irrelevant.

 

[Bring Bak Damphousse]

The pressure has to come at some point to make changes, if they don't win in the playoffs.

People show up no matter what, heads may roll upstairs, but at the end of the day whats going to change?

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

The pressure has to come at some point to make changes, if they don't win in the playoffs.

Sadly, not true. People get mildly upset for a week (if that) and then start planning the parade and getting excited for the draft where the Leafs have no picks until the 3rd round.

Just last week, someone got mad at me for still caring about the Ayres game on the 5 year anniversary as if they aren't still doing the same thing they were doing 5 years ago. They just changed the coach THIS season. It's no shock that the Leafs building is now the quietest building in the league. Too many respecters of handshake lines.

 

[Washed Up 29YearOld]

Lol we get this thread every year.
"WHAT IF.. THE LEAFS MISS THE PLAYOFFS?!"

Then... they suck?

(okay not worse than the Sabres, though)

 

[FerrisRox]

Yikes, it's even worse that he's one of the poster's doing it and then asking me LOL

Holy crap is this ever funny!

He's outraged you're making this statement about Leaf fans!

 

[HockeyVirus]

GDT: Post in thread 'Final Pre-season game Detroit @ Toronto - Saturday 7pm'

Oct 5, 2024

We're winning the f***ing cup this year boys

• HockeyVirus

• 
• 
• 

GDT: Post in thread 'HFBoards GDT 10/21/2024 | Only 1 Game | Tampa @ Toronto'

Oct 21, 2024

Leafs are winning the cup this year

• HockeyVirus

GDT: Post in thread 'HFBoards GDT: 10/16/2024 | 4 games deluxe ultra premium games.'

Oct 16, 2024

As time goes on, the excuses are all being eliminated.

One of these springs we’ll have no choice but to confront the real problems with the team when it comes to playoff hockey.

Great coaching, team is playing a grind defense first game and prioritizing getting the puck to the net and high danger shots. Lots of potential in goal.

This is the year

• HockeyVirus

Post in thread 'Who is winning the cup this year? (No BS thread)'

Oct 29, 2024

This is the Leafs year

• HockeyVirus

• 
• 

GDT: Post in thread 'HFBoards GDT: 12/18/2024 | 5 games'

Dec 18, 2024

It really is different this year. Leafs are winning the cup

• HockeyVirus

• 
• 

GDT: Post in thread 'TOR @ DET Sat Dec 14'

Dec 14, 2024

This is the most impotent offense this team has had in the Matthews era.

This team with a strong TDL is a cup winner. We need to do what Tampa did the other year and buy a third line for the next few years (Coleman and Goodrow)

• HockeyVirus

• 

Post in thread 'Concern Matthew Tkachuk Season could be over waiting on Medical Results'

Sunday at 1:46 PM

This really is the Leafs year. Every team in the east has either regressed terribly or have injuries to key players ending their seasons

• HockeyVirus

Sorry, I missed where those were threads created?

You took sarcastic posts from pre-season GDT thread about it being the year (which is an inside joke to Leaf fans) and several other posts like that.

Hell, the last post you quoted is me saying this is the best chance the Leafs have, NOT that they will do it.

 

[NyQuil]

You took sarcastic posts from pre-season GDT thread about it being the year (which is an inside joke to Leaf fans) and several other posts like that.

Not all of them.

 

[Sypher04]

Unless Marner is looking for a change of scenery, it makes more sense to just bring him back, even with a 14M cah hit. Hes hardly the problem in Toronto, and Rantanen has struggled early on in Carolina. That may be a backup option if for some reason Marner leaves.

Definitely an argument. I certainly wasn’t passing any judgement on Marner or advocating for walking away from him to sign Rantanen, more just talking about possibilities, like if for example Marner chooses to sign elsewhere.

 

[quackquackquack]

They won't do it but they need to rebuild. This core is cooked and can't advance in the playoffs.

 

[HockeyVirus]

Not all of them.

The context of my post was about how Leaf fans go on the mains and make threads about how this is the year. That hasn't happened at all this season. Every Leaf related thread has basically been negative despite them being 1st in the division 99% of the season.

Of course things are different this year than last year but no Leaf fan is fooled until they do it.

 

[The Management]

I think fans of rebuilding teams need to be careful before hurling rocks. The Leafs are an example of how you can draft the right players, have those players win numerous individual awards, break franchise records, become a perennial playoff team, and... still not seriously be on anyone's radar to win a championship. Winning in this league is hard, and is usually more than the sum of its parts.

If we flub it again, which is entirely possible, there are no easy answers.

For my part, I just try to enjoy the entertainment on the ice.

 

[LaCarriere]

People show up no matter what, heads may roll upstairs, but at the end of the day whats going to change?

The leafs will never have a problem spending to the cap. Eventually if Shanahan and company don't get it done, somebody else will be given a turn. I love to hate on the leafs, but they have a lot of advantages being the biggest market team in the league, I would be shocked if matthews decides to play his career there and doesn't win, but I'm not convinced he will stay. He's timed his free agency for one more huge contract, so every team that's in a position to offer a max contract probably will, or he could leave money on the table to go a top contender.

The issue is the leafs are somewhat stuck with "running it back". You're not going to go full rebuild mode with Matthews in his prime, and all of Marner, Nylander, Tavares, etc. Edmonton is built a lot like the leafs and was 1 goal away. Colorado won with everyone questioning their goaltending, although they are better defensively and had great depth that year. Similarly offensive first teams have proven it's possible to win with that formula. At some point you have to wonder if the leafs get in their own heads come playoff time.