Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) celebrates a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning with William Nylander (88) and Mitchell Marner (16) on April 24, 2023, in Tampa, Fla.The Associated Press
It looks as though the Maple Leafs’ Core Four era will come to an end.
Club president Brendan Shanahan hinted at that Friday when asked about the team’s lack of playoff success while built around Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares.
Last weekend Toronto was eliminated from the first round of the NHL playoffs for the eighth time in nine years.
“We have to make very difficult assessments,” Shanahan said during a news conference at the Ford Performance Centre. “That is what we have to do this summer after seeing what we have seen year after year.”
Matthews and Nylander both recently signed long-term contract extensions. Marner and Tavares are about to enter the final season of their deals. Each has a no-move clause, which makes the situation more complicated.
Shanahan addressed the media alongside Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president and chief executive officer Keith Pelley and general manager Brad Treliving. Sheldon Keefe, the team’s head coach, was fired on Thursday.
Toronto has advanced to the second round of the playoffs only once in two decades. Shanahan declined to answer when asked if he believed the Core Four was capable of winning a Stanley Cup.
“They know and understand the results in the playoffs are not acceptable,” Shanahan said. “They have not been good enough.”
The Maple Leafs fell behind the Bruins 3-1 in the opening round but forced a Game 7 and were defeated in overtime. They failed to score more than three goals in any of the contests, and have now scored just 11 times in their past eight elimination games.
They also went 1-for-21 on the power play and their goaltending was not as good as Boston’s.
“We have to dive into this,” Treliving said. He joined the Maple Leafs after Kyle Dubas had a dispute with Shanahan and was let go last summer. “You don’t just throw a body on the tarmac to say you have done something. When we think we should still be playing the results are unacceptable.
“We haven’t scored in the playoffs, our special teams have not been good enough and we turn the other team’s goalies into the first star. We have to look at everything. We have very good players but it hasn’t worked out. We have to analyze why it hasn’t worked.
“We have to find out why we have the same results year after year.”
Pelley, who has run MLSE for only four weeks, is resolute in his determination.
“Good is simply not good enough,” Pelley said. “We need to win. Nothing else matters. No doubt you have heard that before. But I am 1,000 per cent committed to it.”
Later, he said, “For me, winning is winning the Stanley Cup.”
Toronto fell short – again – against the Bruins. It played three games without Nylander, the team’s second-leading scorer, who had severe migraines. Matthews, who led the league with 69 goals during the regular season, missed two.
Treliving said Matthews became sick with a virus at the end of Game 2, and was then hit in Game 4 and had symptoms similar to a head injury and so had to sit out Games 5 and 6.
Joseph Woll, who was spectacular in goal in victories in Games 5 and 6, suffered a sprained back at the end of the latter outing. That caused him to miss Game 7.
Not one of those things in particular could be blamed for another first-round washout. They could possibly be seen as contributing factors but Toronto’s collapses in the playoffs have become epic.
The next task at hand is for the Maple Leafs to find a new coach. There is no shortage of candidates, including Craig Berube, who won a Stanley Cup with St. Louis, Gerard Gallant, Bruce Boudreau and possibly Joel Quenneville.
“There are some good candidates out there,” Treliving said. “I’m not going to get into individuals. As far as the timeline, we want to be thorough but we also understand there are other openings. We are not waiting but it is not something that will be hastily done.