We should never cheer at someone's demise. In Toronto, they would always be cheering. This team was built on the wrong pillars. What is the old saying? Defense and goaltending win cups.
Yes, Keefe lost his job. Let's review this. How much blame do the players get? When it comes to the forwards, let's face facts: Marner was nonexistent. But he had company. JT could also have been more helpful, although he tried to help the team in other ways, such as excelling on the penalty kill and winning face-offs. Although Matthews and Nylander had more success, two players cannot beat 21 players from the opposing team. It's not very good odds.
The Maple Leafs' problem lies in their cap constraints. The support team has failed to provide adequate assistance, primarily because there is not enough bread to go around. There are changes to be made, but there is not enough money to go around to fix them.
It came down to the fact that the core wasn't bringing home the bacon. Do you know what happens when no one brings home the bacon? You starve. That is what has happened to this team for the last 50 years. The team members have found themselves in a perpetual state of starvation.
Year after year, we have watched this team underachieve, and nothing has been done to address it. Do you know the definition of insanity? It's doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
Who gets the blame for the team's failure? The blame for the team's failure often falls on the coaches of the Maple Leafs. Despite having numerous coaches, they have consistently achieved the same disappointing results. Instead of making significant changes to their roster, the team continually replaces coaches.
Yes, they'll bring new players. Cheap fourth-line players, while disregarding the underlying issue. The team becomes trapped in this relentless cycle, attempting to achieve victory with the same core group of players, with scrap metal to help them.
The core obviously has to be changed. However, a major obstacle lies in the fact that all of them possess no-trade clauses. The only possible scenario for trading them is to persuade the team to trade them and convince them to waive the dreaded NTC.
The Leafs need to bring in two new defensemen to support number 44, Morgan Reilly. However, financial constraints pose a challenge in bringing in fresh talent. So, someone has to go, or this new coach will have the same results. Insanity continues to reign supreme in the center of the universe known as Toronto.
