Quote:
They bowed out against a Panthers team playing great hockey, but they had their moments. Mathews was huge in the first round and probably saved the series for them by leading the comeback for them in a big game. Tavares had a series-winning OT goal. They didn’t get it done in round two, but could easily be back with another strong season next year.
I don't see their big contracts as that bad. For a sad comparison to Tavares, Huberdeau is getting paid 500k less and is signed for six years more. Tavares' contract ends at 34. Huberdeau will be going until he's 38. Would anyone turn that down in a one-for-one trade?
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Moments don't matter in the playoffs.
The whole expected to win charts after games mean zero.
For a team with that core to again dramatically fail, that core just pretty well created mass unemployment in the Leaf's management office.
They could return with the same core next year with no cap space, but that dog don't hunt.
The core's a loser.