May 16, 2025; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Florida Panthers during the third period in game six of the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Maple Leafs Think They’ve Improved

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Nick Horwat | Last updated May 20, 2025 1:30 PM ET

For nine years, the Toronto Maple Leafs have had one of the best teams in the NHL, but they’ve routinely fumbled in the playoffs. Only twice have the Maple Leafs made it out of the second round, with both ending in staggering defeats at the hands of the Florida Panthers.

This most recent run lasted to Game 7 of the second round, the most success the Maple Leafs have experienced with their current core group of superstars. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares had never won more than one game with Toronto in the second round before this season.

Despite the three second round victories, two of their four losses came on home ice by a score of 6-1. Games 5 and 7 are already being looked at as a couple of the worst games this Maple Leafs team has ever put together.

People are also already calling this the “end of an era” in Toronto, but the players aren’t looking at it that way. According to Nylander, he believes the team took strides this year.

Nylander said that taking the reigning Stanley Cup champions to Game 7 shows they’ve taken a step.

William Nylander says he wants Marner and Tavares to re-sign and that losing in Game 7 to the Cup champs shows they took a step.
— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) May 20, 2025

Making it to Game 7 of the second round is the closest this Maple Leafs core has gotten to winning the Stanley Cup, yet they only collected seven of the 16 wins needed to hoist the chalice. Making it to the second round for just the second time in nine years is not progress.

Losing the way the Maple Leafs did in Games 5 and 7, on home ice no less, is not progress.

The Maple Leafs are one of the most talented teams in the NHL, featuring four superstars who make over $10 million annually. The expectations are sky high for a reason and they have never once lived up to what is possible in Toronto.

Every year feels like the same story for the Maple Leafs; put together an outstanding regular season, one or two superstars are in the running for a prestigious award, then completely fall apart in the playoffs. It’s happened nine years in a row.

Even if this is the “most successful” the Maple Leafs have been in a decade, it’s still an embarrassing ending. There is no way anyone can look at this track record and think this was a positive step forward.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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