Down 3–2 to the Panthers, we should still beLeaf

My buddy owns a paving company in Ontario, and he’s an avid Toronto Maple Leafs fan. It’s common knowledge that being a Toronto sports fan is a rollercoaster of emotions. His frantic texts throughout Game 5 between Toronto and the Florida Panthers were a clear sign that he was on the Leafs rollercoaster, along with many other Leafs fans. This shows that the Leafs can send completely rational people into an emotional spiral.

Both the media and the fans buy into the emotional rollercoaster. When things are going well, the Leafs are the best team of all time. However, when it’s not going well, you’d think the CN Tower collapsed.

Sure, the Leafs have had past heartbreaks in the playoffs and have developed a reputation for coming up short when it matters. But, all year, fans have been saying, “This is our year”, or “This year is different.” Now that the Leafs are facing a little bit of adversity, the fans are giving up.

As a service to the jersey tossers, the boo birds, and the bandwagon jumpers, and especially my buddy the paver, I will give you a few reasons to not give up hope going into Game 6.

This is why Craig Berube is here

Last season, the Leafs fired Sheldon Keefe and replaced him with Craig Berube. Throughout the season and the playoffs, Berube has displayed a very calm and relaxed demeanor. When it feels like the world is caving in on the Leafs, like it does now, you can look at Berube, who looks unfazed.

This is the type of situation that shows exactly why the Leafs hired him. Fun fact: when Berube and the St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup in 2019, they were down 3–2 to the Dallas Stars in the second round. They won two in a row to win the series, and the rest is history.

The ‘Core Four’

Mitch Marner and John Tavares both become unrestricted free agents this summer. Therefore, Friday night could be the last time the core four of Marner, Tavares, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander play together. These four love playing together, and they’ve been relied on in big moments all season and have come through. That’s why the Leafs won the Atlantic division, and it’s why they are paid as much as they are.

Why change now?

All season, fans have been saying this year is different. Now that they are on the brink of elimination, all of a sudden, it’s over. It’s not; the Stanley Cup playoffs are best-of-seven series for a reason. As of now, neither team has won four games yet. There’s still a chance that this year will be different.

New additions

The Leafs have had a reputation for running it back with the same team year after year. However, they added guys like Scott Laughton, Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson this year. They acquired their veteran presence for situations like this, when your back is against the wall. Ekman-Larsson won a cup with the Florida Panthers last season, and the other three have proven so far this year and in the past that they will show up and compete when it matters. Carlo has played 83 career playoff games, Tanev has played 71, and Laughton has played 35.

Fans are right to be disappointed with the Leafs’ performance in Game 5. Was it a disaster? Yes. However, is every team going to play amazingly in every game all season? No. There are memes popping up on social media about things like changing the universal sign for choking to a Leafs logo. Or how adults shouldn’t believe in Santa, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, or the Leafs.

All the Leafs need to do is go and win a hockey game. Leafs fans everywhere are under the impression that it’s over, and it’s not. I’ll be the first to criticize and perform a post-mortem about the Leafs, but we’re not there just yet!

Buckle up, because hopefully, there’s another high coming on this year’s rollercoaster!