The scoreless $40-million Maple Leafs’ 4 lead group astray once more

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It’s too quickly for a whole post-mortem on all that hasn’t occurred with the Toronto Maple Leafs. But it surely’s time to start the dialog.

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Time to nearly decide who stays, who goes, who loses jobs, and who doesn’t, and when the Leafs rating two targets for the third straight time and lose for the third straight time to the Florida Panthers, there are various inquiries to ask.

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This collection is all however over. Possibly there will probably be another sport. Possibly there will probably be two. But it surely’s clear three video games into this collection with Florida, with Leafs trailing 3-0, that this group, this management group, this group, this high-priced assist can’t get it carried out when it issues most.

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Can’t in any approach dwell as much as the salaries paid and the manufacturing anticipated.

That is now three video games towards Florida. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares — the supposed Core 4 — stay the Scoreless 4 within the collection. The Leafs 4 main aim scorers and not using a aim.

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Out West, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have mixed for eight targets in two video games towards Vegas, one a win, one a loss.

The scoreless 4 — all $40 million value of them — haven’t been adequate at any time on this collection. That is playoff time. That is when the celebrities come out to play. And Sunday evening, was about as weak a sport as Marner has performed as a Leaf. At the least, Matthews from time to time obtained slightly bit carried out, similar with Nylander. Not rather a lot from Tavares however greater than got here from Marner.

Sadly — or hopefully — the Leafs had been led Sunday evening by the backup goaltender, Joseph Woll, by their fourth-line centre, David Kampf, by the in-and-out of the lineup winger Sam Lafferty. Mixed wage of the three — simply over three million a yr.

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Or about $37 million lower than Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Tavares are paid. When your fourth-line gamers are your finest gamers, you will get away with that the odd time in November or January. Not within the Stanley Cup playoffs. Not in additional time.

Not on an evening when the Leafs had been determined after which they weren’t, after which they had been, and in additional time they had been very tight, icing the puck thrice within the first 90 seconds. And never lengthy after that Sam Reinhart left TJ Brodie standing nonetheless behind the Toronto aim, and did a wrap-around that beat Woll, who had changed Ilya Samsonov early within the first interval, with the Leafs main 1-0.

This was nearly emblematic of the form of collection it has been for the Leafs. Luke Schenn unintentionally crashed into Samsonov on the 37-second mark of the second interval, ending the goaltender’s evening. The Leafs, taking themselves out of the play as soon as once more, simply as they did in numerous methods in Video games 1 and a pair of.

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Now, it’s ready time. For the season to finish and the collection to finish to see what comes from that. Season time, playoff time, then evaluation time.

Does Brendan Shanahan, the massive boss man of the Maple Leafs, survive one other strong common season, adopted by one other unimpressive playoff run?

Does Kyle Dubas get the contract he wished final summer time to stay as basic supervisor? This seemed to be the very best roster he had ever put collectively. And nonetheless, it has come up so very brief by means of three losses towards Florida.

Does coach Sheldon Keefe survive? You by no means know what the politics are at Maple Leaf Sports activities and Leisure, the Leafs’ house owners, to completely perceive what’s going to come of Shanahan and Dubas. But when the Leafs are swept and even lose in an unimpressive 5 video games, Keefe can’t return as coach.

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They led towards Montreal two years in the past. They led towards Tampa Bay final yr. They had been lucky to get previous the Lightning this yr. On this collection, once more, they haven’t carried out anyplace close to expectations. In all of the video games of latest historical past, the Leafs haven’t scored sufficient. Not final yr. Not the yr earlier than. Not the yr earlier than that.

And never when you think about the historical past of this group — all these years and not using a Stanley Cup. However alongside the way in which, in these disappointing seasons, you continue to had Doug Gilmour and Wendel Clark doing loopy issues, you continue to had Darryl Sittler and Lanny McDonald placing on large performances, and you continue to had Mats Sundin and Gary Roberts enjoying large.

They had been the celebrities who performed like stars. Now turns into a query of what you do with Matthews — whether or not he needs to remain right here a lot past subsequent season or the Leafs need to pay him all he will probably be granted. And who will make that decision? Will it’s Shanahan, who employed Dubas, who employed Keefe? Or will Matthews, as he has for lots of this collection already?

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The choices are all related in quite a lot of methods and but annually there was a possibility to do one thing particular and it simply hasn’t occurred.

Matthews hit the put up on his first shot of the sport and didn’t come near scoring the remainder of the evening. Marner by no means had a scoring likelihood or arrange one. Nylander had slightly sprint, however not a lot. Tavares made his approach for one alternative within the sport.

And that was it.

Anthony Duclair scored on the ultimate second of an influence play to tie the sport 1-1 within the second interval. Then Gustafsson banked a puck off Radko Gudas to place the Leafs in entrance. Then former Leafs draft decide Carter Verhaeghe deflected a Gudas shot off his physique. Reinhart’s additional time aim at 3:02 meant the Panthers led 3-0 within the best-of-seven collection.

And now it’s solely a matter of when for the Maple Leafs. When and who and what? There may be a lot to determine and far to find out. And solutions won’t be straightforward.