What Went Wrong: The Toronto Screwjob

Canada is doomed to be a magnet for screwjobs. First Bret Hart in Montréal, and now, the Toronto Maple Leafs were screwed over on their home ice. The refs really did their best to hand Florida this series. As soon as the Leafs went up 2-0 in the series, the refs really got to work in Games Three and Four. No penalties called on Florida. Panthers getting away with so much obvious shit. The result: a 2-2 series tie entering Game Five, which the Leafs were blasted in. Now, Game Five's not on the refs; the Leafs did not play well. But Game Six proved that when the refs are actually unbiased, the Leafs win.

Then Game Seven happened. This was the Leafs' chance. We saw more of the same; Panthers committing obvious penalties that were never called. Even so, it was scoreless after 20. But the floodgates opened in the 2nd period. Three Panthers goals, but the third one should not have counted; clearly offsides. Yet dummy Craig Berube didn't challenge it. Clown. Honestly, it was over after 40, but the Panthers decided to do some overkill. A 6-1 victory. The Toronto Screwjob was complete.

Despite this, this was the best run by this group. Seven playoff wins and one win away from their first Final Four appearance in 23 years. But again, if the officials were actually unbiased, the Leafs would have had a lot of time off after sweeping this joke of a team. Yet Leafs "fans" want to engage in their favorite pastime: playing the blame game. And guess who their favorite target is?

Let me make one thing clear. I am not a Maple Leafs fan. I'm simply a guy who respects this team immensely. But I'll say this. If you are seriously wanting the Leafs to actually get rid of Mitch Marner, then you should turn in your Leafs fan card right the hell now. You can't possibly think that Marner was the problem. The man had 13 points (2G/11A) in 13 games. A point per game in this year's playoffs. Yet Leafs fans actually want to blame him and want him gone. You can't be fucking serious. Marner held the fort down all season. He took the lead when Auston Matthews was out. Hell, Marner should have been a Hart Trophy finalist this season! But sure, keep pretending that Marner's the problem if that helps you sleep at night.

Marner's 13 points were behind William Nylander's 15 (6G/9A), and ahead of Matthews' 11 (3G/8A). As for the remaning core member, John Tavares? Seven points--though five of them went in the net. Yet you know what Leafs fans are saying? "End of an era." "Get rid of the core." Look, is that core hella expensive? Yes. But is it worth the price? Again, yes. Though it's not everyone saying that the whole core has to go. Some are saying get rid of some of them. Some want Matthews and Marner, the team's two best players, gone. That would be like me saying, "Well, we lost in the first round, let's get rid of MacKinnon and Makar." Just ludicrous.

I guarantee this: if the Leafs get rid of Matthews and Marner, they'll regret it. Fans actually want a rebuild/start over, just like ten years ago, which is how they got Matthews in the first place. This is not the time for that, not when they were this close to the Final Four. The only thing I agree with most Leafs fans on is Brendan Shanahan. He's gotta go. The core needs to remain intact, but the team prez has to go. He's been there since Day One of this. They need a new head up there. Honestly, part of me feels they need a new head coach, too. Yes, this is only Berube's first year there, but still, there are better options.

I'm not giving up on the Leafs. Again, this was their best season with that group. That tells me that they have a chance for better things ahead. The Leafs need to keep that quartet together, and see if they can add better pieces. If they do, the sky's the limit.