Considering that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning are heading into diametrically opposite directions, it’s worth taking account of the past decade. The debris and detritus cleared from the NHL Trade Deadline, as the Maple Leafs were positioned as sellers, entering uncharted territory. In stark contrast, the Lightning waited patiently, positioned for a genuine pursuit of a third Stanley Cup and fifth Final appearance under the tutelage of head coach Jon Cooper.
Throughout the day, the Lightning provided a bleak reminder to the Maple Leafs of what they could have become. This notion was only further punctuated during a 5-2 beatdown, where the Maple Leafs wilted during the first period and were booed off the ice by the fans who carried the appetite to stomach all three periods.
Toronto and Tampa Bay’s core are age-related peers, and it’s haunting to see how the individual legacies of the core players have evolved. Victor Hedman was selected one pick after John Tavares, and now has the luxury of operating on the Lightning’s third pair. Nikita Kucherov put on another passing clinic, generating four assists. Auston Matthews, by contrast, fumbled the puck behind his net which directly led to the Lightning’s third goal. Brayden Point and William Nylander were both selected in the 2014 NHL Draft, and Tampa Bay’s star centre may have the superior career. He certainly had the superior evening, in a two-assist showing. Kucherov, Hedman, Point, Ryan McDonagh (who scored the game-tying goal, banking a bad angle shot off Jake McCabe’s skate and in) and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the nucleus of a team that emerged as a salary-cap era dynasty, and appear to be headed for one more Cup run.
Kucherov, Hedman and Vasilevskiy will all be headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Corey Perry, who was acquired at the deadline, will be eventually be enshrined alongside his teammates as well. Aside from Matthews, can the same be said of the Maple Leafs, given that they’ve been defined by profound failure over this past decade?
As for Saturday’s proceedings, Cooper easily outfoxed Craig Berube, who seems completely out of answers. Berube took the ice before conducting a nonchalant practice, in which the Leafs ran a disconnected scrimmage. Cooper ran his practice with precision, and held court with a throng of reporters before the game, generously assessing the opponent in front of him. Berube was outmatched throughout the game, while Cooper made smart adjustments. During Tampa Bay’s second goal, the Kucherov line easily took advantage of Toronto’s fourth line, centred by rookie Jacob Quillan, as Jake Guentzel broke free in the slot.
“This is probably gonna be a one-off for them because they’ve got a good group,” Cooper said post-game via
Sportsnet’s Luke Fox.
It may only be a one-off if Berube is dismissed. He was brought in to turn a high-octane offensive team into a more defensively sound team, and hasn’t fulfilled this mandate at all. Cooper, on the other hand, is the consensus best coach in hockey and has extracted the most value from his roster. It may start with the players, but the Lightning’s superior coaching provides a stark reminder of what this Leafs’ core could’ve become.
A decade in professional sports is taxing. It’s worth considering that the Maple Leafs started their run of consecutive playoff appearances during the 2016-17 campaign, arriving ahead of schedule before a first-round loss to the Washington Capitals. Tampa Bay missed the playoffs that year, after going to the conference finals the previous year. It has strung eight consecutive playoff appearances since. During its dynastic years, the Lightning dealt with the fruits of winning, leading to the exodus of Steven Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev. And now it is operating in its third iteration under Cooper, while sitting atop the Atlantic Division, 17 points ahead of the Maple Leafs.
This is what the Maple Leafs uber-talented core could have graduated into. Cooper is a superior head coach to any bench boss the Leafs used, although Mike Babcock was ostensibly brought in for his pedigree. Vasilevskiy is the best goaltender of his era, there’s no argument there. And yet, considering that the Maple Leafs defeated the Lightning in 2023, which in retrospect, constituted their best chance at a Stanley Cup, along with the fact their cores are indeed peers, many of whom grew up playing against each other, it’s hard not to wonder what the Leafs could have turned into. No one is going to feel sorry for a franchise with the institutional resources the Leafs possess, but the Lightning provide a firm reminder of how life could’ve been, with better breaks and real playoff success.
Toronto’s contention window is closing in real-time. If it were a smart organization, it would perhaps draw parallels to Tampa Bay’s lost season in 2016-17 and take cues from the divisional power on how to re-tool effectively. It’s uncharted territory for this Maple Leafs, and their rivals provided a mirror into the spoils of victory that they were once ordained for.
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