The Toronto Maple Leafs should be praised for the success of their rebuild, not questioned about playoff success – which to this point is largely arbitrary.
There I was yesterday, driving in my car – and since it’s a rental with no CD Player, I was listening to sports radio. The host complained that the Leafs were all getting paid tons of money without having any results to show for it.
I hear and see this criticism all the time, but it makes no sense if you make even the smallest effort to contextualize it.
Losses – but in context
The Leafs are trying to change the template for what a contending hockey team looks like, and because of that people are quick to judge them – to point to their 3rd straight playoff loss and make declarations like “See, I told you this team couldn’t win in the playoffs.