Toronto Maple Leafs News

Home

Quizzes

Newsletter

Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

Toronto Maple Leafs’ playoff journey: Overcoming adversity

Originally posted on 6IX ON ICE | By Imran Jessa | Last updated May 4, 2025 12:38 PM ET

So the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators. Good. This piece will serve as a bit of a retrospective on the series that had a lot of highs, some very low lows, but ultimately a successful end result.

This series was complicated for me, and I’m not sure how to feel. So, as is often the case, I’ve chosen to write in the hopes that putting some words on paper clears my head and allows me to proceed with a bit of a clear slate.

Demons slayed?

Let me start off by saying I am overjoyed that the Leafs won, despite this being the expected and frankly only option they had. As I wrote before the series, the Leafs absolutely had to beat the Senators, and I am very glad they did.

However, I do think there is still a lot left to prove. The Leafs proved one thing with this win, and that is that they are not the catastrophically cursed losers they once were. Blowing a 3–0 series lead to the Ottawa Senators and losing in seven, as I was worried would happen at multiple points in Game 6, would have been a nightmare to end all nightmares. I honestly would have called for Auston Matthews to get traded.

The Leafs didn’t do that, although it seemed like after Game 5 they were trying to get there. While I know it is in the past, Game 5 was one of the most pathetic sporting performances I have witnessed in my life. The team had no drive, no determination, all encapsulated by the non-effort that was William Nylander’s back-check on the shorthanded second goal.

I have never wanted to watch a hockey game less than Game 6. All the demons came back, memories of 2013, 2018, 2020, 2021, and all the years in between and since. But the Leafs proved me wrong. They proved that they weren’t losers. Now they have to prove they are winners.

Looking ahead

The Florida Panthers are an excellent hockey team, and while the Leafs did have more regular season points, I think we’d be kidding ourselves if we didn’t consider Toronto the underdog. I saw a take on Twitter after Game 6 that feels prescient:

The Florida Panthers are a great hockey team, and losing to them would be nothing like losing to the Senators. But the Leafs also consider themselves a great hockey team, and great teams beat other great teams on the road to the Stanley Cup. The Leafs have an opportunity to prove they are a great hockey team, and they have to beat the Florida Panthers to do it.

I also disagree with the first line. The Toronto Maple Leafs are not a normal hockey team, and until they prove they can win, I don’t think they ever will be. In the 107-year history of the club, this is probably the best lineup they have ever put on the ice. They have the most talent they have arguably ever had, and they have had this talent for the last eight years. They have nothing to show for it. Beating the Ottawa Senators in six games, especially after the Game 5 performance, does not eliminate the heartbreak of the better part of the last decade. Nothing is ever simple with the Leafs.

Beat Florida

I have written before that maybe I’m too jaded, too cynical. Frankly, I think I’ve earned the right to be. I am proud of our boys for the comeback after Game 5 and closing it out in a hostile barn. They’ve talked about resiliency and pushing through adversity, and they certainly showed some in the first round. But now is the true test against a bona fide Cup contender, hell, the defending champions.

Win, and I do think the monkey is off the back. Win, and it goes a hell of a long way to forcing those demons away. Win, and I’ll argue that we should bring back this core for another attempt. We should try as hard as we can to sign Marner, bring back JT on a (hopefully) team-friendly deal.

In my last piece, I wrote about how this team feels different. They play differently. In Game 5 we saw shades of the old Leafs, the panic, the pressure, the flipping stretch passes down the ice to nobody. But they persevered, and I thought they played their game in Game 6 and won.

I do think this team can beat the Florida Panthers. Hell, I think this team can beat any team in the NHL. I do think they have the makings of a championship roster. Ultimately, it’s a mental game now, and whether they have the sheer force of will to make it happen. Time will tell.

Go Leafs Go!

This article first appeared on 6IX ON ICE and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: