Toronto Maple Leafs close to history? - A look into the Toronto Maple Leafs by Jennifer Kate

Hey guys, Jennifer here again from Slap Shots Fired. Finally coming back with another NHL blog. This time, I'm surprisingly not talking about the New York Rangers, which is shocking, I know. But anyways, today I’ll be talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs.

56 years and counting.

Now before we get to me breaking down this year's Toronto Maple Leafs team, I do have to give credit where credit is due. No one expected the Leafs to make it as far into the playoffs as they did this year. If you don’t know some of the "history" of the Leafs let me explain.

The Leafs tend to have this habit of choking in Game 7s every year. Now with that being said, the Leafs did not lose in Game 7 this year; they beat the Tampa Bay Lighting with a score of 2-1.

Even though you guys all know I’m a Rangers fan, I very much enjoy watching Toronto play. I think they are a super fun team who has a ton of talent, and if they can just get some team chemistry and the right pieces, they could make a deep run.

Now let’s deep dive into the 2022-23 Toronto Maple Leafs roster. First off, you have a superstar in young Auston Matthews, who is probably one of the best players on their roster this season. He ended the regular season with 40 goals and 45 assists and was a +31. Matthews started his career with the Leafs with quite a bang, scoring four goals in his NHL debut, which took place on October 12, 2016, vs. the Ottawa Senators.

Now another young talent they have is Matthews's linemate, Mitch Marner, who also had a very good regular season with 30 goals and 69 assists, and he was a +18. Mitch has started to find his game, and as of late, has found consistency.

Let's move on to a player who I think has been extremely underrated all year and that is William Nylander. Now I know he's been with the Leafs since 2015, but I think that since the 2021-22 season, he's found his game. Nylander ended the regular season with 40 goals and 47 assists and was a +10.

Now I have to turn my attention to one of the best Leaf players. I know I may get some heat for this, but Joseph Woll stole the show during the Leafs' playoff run. I’m referring to when, just like the Devils, the Leafs made a goaltending change to try and change the momentum of the series.

Even though the Leafs' playoff run ended in the second round, they still proved they are a good team, and that with the right players and a good team chemistry they can be dominant.

Now before I wrap this blog up, I want to talk a little more in-depth about the Leafs and their "bad habit" — or should I say no longer a 'bad habit" — of choking in Game 7s. They broke that "habit" this year by beating the Tampa Bay Lighting in seven games. As I mentioned a little bit earlier, the Leafs won Game 7 by a score of 2-1 and finally broke the curse of not getting past the first round of the playoffs.

The last time the Leafs passed a first-round playoff series before this year was 2004. The 2004 Toronto Maple Leafs roster features big names such as Brian Leetch, Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker, and Ed Belfour.

The Leafs' history speaks for itself at this point, and I'm going to quickly refer back to something I said a little bit earlier on in the blog: 56 years and counting.

Will this upcoming season be the year for the Leafs, or will this just be another season of heartbreak for the Toronto Maple Leafs and their extremely dedicated fanbase?