Blue And White Beat: Playoff run post-mortem
Unless you’re the guy who was parading in front of the Air Canada Centre with a tin foil Stanley Cup last week, you’ve resigned yourself to the fact that Toronto’s playoff drought is headed for a sixth straight year.
Even with the Leafs’ convincing 5-2 win over slumping Boston on Saturday night, not even the ghost of Bill Barilko – whose sister was on hand for a ceremony honouring the 60th anniversary of that famous song-worthy goal – can resurrect any post-season hopes.
As the club embarks on its final stretch of games to close out 2010-11, the annual blame game begins to take shape; a rite of passage that has become as regular as the return of the swallows to San Juan Capistrano at this time of year.
“It’s Ron Wilson’s fault. The players have stopped playing for him.”
Really? But the team has gone 19-12-6 (.594) starting with New Year’s Day in Ottawa.
“Well, then how could he start J.S. Giguere on Thursday in Florida? The players only play well for James Reimer.”
But, didn’t Reimer start last Monday in the drubbing at the hands of Tampa Bay?
“Well then, it’s Brian Burke’s fault. The Kessel trade backfired. His moves haven’t been very good.”
My feelings on the Kessel trade were made clear about a year ago, and my stance hasn’t changed. The overestimation of defencemen Mike Komisarek and Brett Lebda were errors in the Leafs GM’s judgment. However, last year’s swindling of Calgary (the second such heist of that city in twenty years) that is making Dion Phaneuf look like a throw-in, in addition to Keith Aulie, is Burke’s cornerstone move for the franchise.
The additions of Joffrey Lupul plus prospects Jake Gardiner and Joe Colborne leave Toronto fans reasons to be optimistic about the future. The wild cards are in whether Reimer, and Clarke MacArthur, can repeat the success they’ve exhibited this year.
No, the players didn’t quit on Wilson. Yes, they appeared to mail – nay Fedex – two points against both Florida-based teams in the past week.
Rather than dissect how the playoff race has turned against the Leafs, the suggestion is that Occam’s Razor is sufficient; the simplest explanation is most often the correct one.
The team just hasn’t been good enough to compete for the privilege of playing in the playoffs.
This column stated last July that the team was not playoff-bound (although an incorrect prediction was made that the Leafs would be well out of the race by January).
When your team is 24th out of 30 in both goals scored, and goals-per-game, you’re not going to win a lion’s share of games unless your defence is phenomenal. So when you’re in the bottom six in both goals against, and goals-against-per-game, your team shouldn’t be making any bookings beyond the first week of April, other than the first tee.
For the rare optimist who allows a sliver of hope for post-season hockey in Toronto when the target range of eighth place is within sight – say six points or fewer – I’m reminded of Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
The Leafs fan is King Arthur standing outside the castle, wanting access.
The castle, supposedly guarding the Holy Grail, represents the eight teams in the Eastern Conference vying for the Stanley Cup.
And King Arthur has to absorb the verbal insults from – you got it – the French soldier (that one was for you Habs fans).
So let’s put things in perspective one more time. The Leafs have to win 7 of their 9 remaining games to finish with 88 points, the same number that both the Flyers and Canadiens had last year to sew up the last two Eastern seeds.
Six of Toronto’s last nine games are on the road, where they are 2 games under .500 on the season.
The schedule includes four teams ahead of them in the East: Boston, Buffalo, Washington, and Montreal. Not that the calibre of opponents has any bearing on the end result (remember Florida, or the Islanders?)
To King Arthur, or rather the delusional Leafs fan – do you still think a miracle will happen? I thought not.
Now, as the French soldier said. “Go away, or I shall taunt you a second time.”
Rob Del Mundo is the author of Blue And White Beat, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca
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