The Maple Leafs are back in the playoffs, so it’s time for us bandwagon fans to pepper the biggest Leafs die-hard on CBC Toronto’s digital desk with some questions.
You know, so we sound smart at the sports bar.
(And to be honest, this will also be a bit of an emotional check-in on reporter Adam Carter, who has followed the Buds for decades — for better or for worse.)
Adam, an easy question to start: Are the Leafs good?
The team just won its first divisional title for a normal season in over two decades and boasts players near the top of many key categories across the NHL, including goals scored, points, assists, and goaltending stats.
For any other team, it would be pretty easy to unequivocally say, “yup, they’re good.” But this is the Leafs we’re talking about here, so … maybe?
But are you feeling … good? Give us a one-word answer on your emotional state.
(Cautiously) optimistic.
That’s two, but we’ll allow it considering a couple years back you wrote that being a Leafs fan around this time of year feels “a lot like the anticipation before Christmas morning — only there’s a chance that Santa punches you in the face for ever believing in him.”
And therein lies the rub — this team has yet to prove it has the ability to win where it counts: in the playoffs. Save for a lone series win against the Tampa Bay Lightning the season before last (before quickly being decimated by the Florida Panthers in the second round) these Leafs always seem to find a way to stumble in the post-season.
Maybe this is the year that everything finally clicks for this core and they go on a proper run — but I wouldn’t bet your life savings on it or anything.
What are you optimistic about?
There are things about this team that are legitimately different from seasons past — the goaltending chief among them. Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll have formed one of the best goalie tandems in the league, and fans should be able to feel confident with either of them in net — especially compared to past seasons where a dodgy goal or two per game felt like an inevitability.
Get ready, hockey fans: The ‘Battle of Ontario’ is back
Many of the team’s best players have also been just that: their best players. Mitch Marner finally cracked 100 points in a season, William Nylander potted a personal best to lead the team in goals, and John Tavares turned back the clock for one of his best seasons in years.
The other thing that might instill some confidence is the way the club plays under new head coach Craig Berube, prioritizing a forechecking style that some pundits believe works better in the playoffs compared to the regular season. Couple that with a revamped defence core and some bigger players in general, and this is a team that should stand up to the rigours of playoff hockey a little better.
What worries you?
Putting aside that the franchise might legitimately be haunted by the ghost of former owner Harold Ballard, there are still causes for concern here — Auston Matthews’s health chief among them.
The Leafs captain hasn’t looked like himself through parts of the regular season and didn’t come close to the lofty goal totals he managed in previous years. Combine that with some stints on injured reserve and a mid-season trip to Germany to see doctors, and it seems obvious the team’s biggest star has been fighting through a nagging injury.
For a top-heavy squad like the Leafs, the stars need to perform when it matters most — and if Matthews is hurt, that tall order (considering this core’s usual postseason flubs) gets even taller. That some key defencemen have been dealing with injuries over the last week of the season is similarly a bit worrisome.
The team’s power play has also alternated between very hot and extremely cold depending on the month, and its penalty kill has largely been middling at best. If the stars align and both squads are humming at a decent clip, the team’s chances are solid — but if they stumble, it will be hard to outplay those problems.
But we’re going to beat Ottawa, right?
I, like most Leafs fans, sure [insert choice expletive here] hope so. The Sens are making their first post-season appearance since 2017, and on paper, the Leafs are heavily favoured to win this series.
But this core has experience blowing a series it should win (see 2021 against the Canadiens, or in 2020 against Columbus) and Ottawa has won all four games between the teams this season, as well as seven of the last 10 outings between the two clubs.
This Ottawa squad is no pushover, with legitimate talent throughout its lineup. Any Leafs fan who thinks this new iteration of the Battle of Ontario will be easy is likely kidding themselves.
Every time the playoffs are on we worry about your heart. Given how stressful playoff hockey is to watch, why do you keep coming back?
Put simply: Because it’s the best. (Unless the Leafs blow it in the first round again — then it’s the worst.)
