The Toronto Maple Leafs are again heading home for an early summer following yet another Round 1 exit from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In a scene already played out three times prior, the Leafs failed to emerge victorious over the rival Boston Bruins in Game 7 at downtown Boston's TD Garden despite having held the lead during regulation.
David Pastrnak's overtime tally past Ilya Samsonov not even two minutes into the extra session propelled the Bruins to the 2nd round, where they've already taken a one-game-to-none lead over the Florida Panthers. And for the Leafs, the offseason has arrived in all-too-familiar fashion. They now enter the summer with more questions than answers, especially after once again failing to live up to the lofty expectations that came with a successful regular season.
Where exactly do they go from here? While those decisions remain to be seen, take a look at our list of the three things the Leafs organization absolutely must do before next season begins in the fall.
The Leafs must trade Mitch Marner
Sometimes, a change of scenery can do a player good. And perhaps no player on the current Toronto Maple Leafs roster is more in need of said change than forward Mitch Marner, who is being put through the wringer right now following another poor postseason performance.
He put together another fine stat line in the regular season, scoring 26 goals with 59 assists. But contending teams are judged by the results in the postseason, not the regular season campaign. During Toronto's seven-game Round 1 loss to the Bruins, Marner tallied only one goal along with a pair of assists and was routinely criticized by fans and media alike for failing to make a notable impact.
Marner also did himself no favors when he compared himself and his teammates to “gods” in the city of Toronto, per Terry Koshan of The Toronto Sun.
“We’re looked upon as, you know, kind of gods here to be honest,” Marner said. “Something that you really appreciate and the love that you get here from this fan base and this attention is unlike any other. You saw with the Raps a couple years ago (when the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA championship), the love that they still have for a lot of those players … That’s kind of the love you want.”
The Leafs must fire Sheldon Keefe and replace him with an established winner
Sheldon Keefe, previously at the helm of the American Hockey League affiliate Toronto Marlies, ascended to the role of Maple Leafs head coach after the departure of Mike Babcock in November 2019. Despite guiding the team to their first postseason series victory since the revered Pat Quinn era, their playoff record remains lackluster with only one such triumph in five attempts.
Their postseason woes began with a defeat to the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2020 Qualifying Round held in the “bubble.” This disappointment was compounded by squandering a three-games-to-one series lead against the underdog Montreal Canadiens in the subsequent season.
The Maple Leafs' struggles continued as they once again faltered in Round 1, surrendering a three-games-to-two series advantage to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who rallied to claim victory in the following two games.
While Keefe coached the Leafs to a series victory over Tampa Bay in a rematch of 2022 last season, they were quickly dispatched in the next round, which brings us to the present day and dealing with the latest disappointment against Boston. The Leafs would greatly benefit from bringing in a new voice to the dressing room, and there are candidates available who could help get them over the hump.
Former 2019 Stanley Cup-winning coach Craig Berube is a hot commodity on the open coaching market, while there have also been rumors that Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour could be departing.
The Leafs must move on from Brendan Shanahan and the “Shanaplan”
Former 3-time Stanley Cup champion Brendan Shanahan, who served as the NHL's lead disciplinarian following his playing career, has been at the helm of the Maple Leafs for just over 10 years now, having taken the job of president and alternate governor in April of 2014.
And despite having put together a team that features the likes of Auston Matthews, Marner, William Nylander, and high-profile free agent pickup John Tavares, the Leafs have only one postseason series to show for it.
Right now, it remains to be seen whether or not new Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment CEO Keith Pelley will make any meaningful changes to the Leafs front office. But at a certain point, the results-oriented business needs to start seeing tangible results, and the Leafs have failed to deliver in a decade of Shanahan's tenure.
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