SAD Am Leaving: Connor Dewar confirms Toronto Maple Leafs exit in emotional massage to fans….

Four Justifications for the Toronto Maple Leafs Off-Season’s Early Optimism

It was over 2 weeks ago that the Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the sting of failure lessens just a little more with each passing day.  Despite the fact that they lost in the first round, in 7 games, to the Boston Bruins, yet again, there is some truth to the adage that “time heals all wounds”.

Most long-time Toronto Maple Leafs fans are already looking ahead, not behind, because that’s what we do.

We have many decades of practice so we’re pretty damn good at it by now.

So, between cutting the grass, jealously following the handful of NHL teams still playing, sparking up the barbecue, and discovering our shorts and t-shirts somehow shrunk over the winter, many of us have been quietly discussing what’s got us looking forward to October.

Despite the negativity surrounding this franchise due to its baffling inability to make any noise in the playoffs, there really are quite a few reasons to be optimistic about the coming season.

This optimism in general is crafted from a combination of “addition by subtraction” (saying goodbye to people that no longer fit) and “addition by addition” (saying hello to new faces that should bring about positive change in an organization that desperately needs some).

Every team goes through this off-season process every year, to some extent, but the changes coming to the Toronto Maple Leafs somehow feel more significant this summer.  Being eternal optimists, I suppose we feel that way most years, but maybe THIS year it will be justified.