Matthew Tkachuk Exposes What’s Really Holding Maple Leafs Back After Game 7

On Monday morning, following the win, Tkachuk appeared as a guest on the "Spittin’ Chiclets" podcast and discussed the intense media pressure the Leafs face year in and year out — pressure that not every team has to deal with. He even went as far as saying that if the Leafs weren’t in Toronto, "they'd be an unbelievable team and such a hard team to play." 

"Sometimes you feel bad for them because they have some unbelievable players and a great team," Tkachuk said. "I was actually saying this last night to some of the guys. If their team was not in Toronto, dealing with all the crazy circus stuff outside of it, they'd be an unbelievable team and such a hard team to play. They just have so much to deal with, and I feel bad."

Tkachuk also added that the pressure only they have is something "you almost use" against them.

"We don't have to deal with that in Florida," Tkachuk added. "I feel like that's what makes me and my team so lucky. You almost use that against them. The pressure that these guys have to deal with day in and day out. I wasn't surprised with how they played. They had stretches in those games where they played really well. Look at last night. That second half of the first period, they were unreal. (Panthers goaltender Sergei) Bob (Bobrovsky) had to come up huge for us. They definitely didn't lay an egg at all. They played us well. They took us to game seven."

Toronto faces several key decisions this offseason, with two of their Core Four players — John Tavares and Mitch Marner — set to become free agents. A shake-up in the Leafs' core could be necessary after repeated playoff failures.