Since 2000, and even in years prior, the Toronto Maple Leafs have never entered into a new season with any sort of mystery about them.
Expectations were set, and the team generally lived up (or down) to them. At the start of the decade, no one doubted that the Leafs would not only make the playoffs, but would also make a serious run for the Stanley Cup.
With players like Gary Roberts, Sergei Berezin, Darcy Tucker, Alex Mogilny, and Steve Thomas all in their relative primes, as well as Captain Clutch himself, Mats Sundin, the Leafs were expected to make noise every postseason. The team could pay anyone as much as was needed, and with a group of veterans leading the way, they were always one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Then came the lockout in 2004, which was the "TSN Turning Point," if you will, for the franchise as a whole.
After that year, the Leafs were not only expected to miss the playoffs, but to have a better chance at snagging the first overall pick in the upcoming draft.
Post-lockout, the best way to describe the Leafs is "punch line". And that has nothing to do with the toughness of the ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Jon Neely
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