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Maple Leafs’ Bad Injury Luck to Blame for Early Playoff Exit

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated 5/5/24

It really felt different this year, didn’t it? After going down 3-1 in their first-round series versus the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs charged back and forced a Game 7. What was a scoreless game near the midway point of the third period shifted heavily in the Maple Leafs’ favor when William Nylander scored a goal 9:01 in.

As excited as Maple Leafs fans were, they had the momentum ripped away as quickly as they got it, with Hampus Lindholm tying things up just over a minute later. As a result, we were all treated to a Game 7 overtime, where it was David Pastrnak beating Ilya Samsonov on a set play to send the Leafs packing yet again.

Nobody likes excuses, and to the credit of both the players and fans, they don’t seem to be giving any. Head coach Sheldon Keefe had some bizarre quotes, but he, too, didn’t make any excuses for his team’s early exit. What makes it all a bit strange is the fact that this year, they really did have an excuse that would be fair to go with.

Maple Leafs Couldn’t Get Healthy

Right from the get-go in this series, the Maple Leafs struggled from a health perspective. They were without William Nylander for the first three games due to migraine issues. Despite reportedly having some vision trouble even after his return, he was fantastic for the Leafs, scoring three goals in four games. Had he been back earlier, you can’t help but wonder how much different this series could have gone.

Another injury to one of their stars came early on, as it was reported that Auston Matthews played Game 3 under the weather. The situation became very strange soon after, with conflicting reports on whether he was battling an illness or an injury. Whatever the case, he was pulled after two periods in Game 4 while missing Games 5 and 6. Though he returned for Game 7, he didn’t seem to have the same jump everyone expected of him.

While the two injuries I mentioned above were very tough ones to overcome, perhaps the toughest of all was between the pipes. After being down 3-1 in the series, Keefe decided to go with Joseph Woll over Ilya Samsonov, and the switch couldn’t have worked out better. Woll won Games 5 and 6 and seemed to be entering Game 7 with sky-high confidence.

Though nobody realized it at the time, Woll reportedly injured himself late in Game 6, and roughly an hour before Game 7, it was announced that he wasn’t able to start. It was a massive blow for a Maple Leafs team that was really coming into its own heading in, and while Samsonov was by no means bad in Game 7, you can’t help but wonder if they would have pulled off a win with Woll between the pipes.

Healthy Maple Leafs Team Comes Out on Top

Given how close this series wound up being, it seems fair to suggest that had the Maple Leafs been healthy, they would have won. Yes, they won both games in which Matthew sat, but as mentioned, he is believed to have played at far less than 100 percent in Game 3 and was forced to leave Game 4 after forty minutes. If he’s at his best in each of those outings, the Maple Leafs could very well have won both, which would have changed the entire dynamic of this series.

While the injuries are a legitimate excuse this year, there are no prizes that come with that, as Leafs fans are well aware. After taking some time to decompress, the focus will turn to what happens in the offseason, with many questioning the futures of John Tavares, Marner, and Keefe. Given how poorly things have gone in terms of playoff success in recent years, it’s hard to envision this same core and their head coach all returning. That said, if they do, it will be interesting to see if they can get a different result next year, assuming all are healthy.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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