Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
Leafs top stars didn't win them the series, but they also didn't lose them that series IMO. It was the Panthers bottom 6 that won them that series. Doesn't help that the Leafs defense was also very much a tire fire in that series and they don't have the d-core to be able to stop a team like Florida.
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And if we were only concerned about how one series went, and not 8 years of this, that might be persuasive. But we're not. Nor are we looking at years and years of data that say Barkov and Bennett aren't the guys moving the needle for Florida.
What happened in this series wouldn't matter at all if it weren't part of a broader context of this continuously happening. And when you've got 5 guys who amount to more than $54 million of your cap - over 60% of the $88M max - saying "they didn't win them the series but they didn't lose it for them either" simply doesn't cut it, year after year after year. Those guys have to win you the series. That's how your team is constructed.