Another year, another classic playoff choke job from the Toronto Maple Leafs.
For the fourth time in five seasons, Toronto failed to reach the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Blowing a 3-1 series lead, the Leafs laid a Game 7 egg at home against the rival Montreal Canadiens on Monday night, further cementing their status as the NHL's most cursed and tortured franchise.
The numbers are outright baffling. Toronto hasn't hoisted a Stanley Cup since 1967 -- the longest drought in the NHL. They haven't won a single playoff series since 2004. They've lost eight consecutive series-clinching games. And they've lost a winner-take-all game in four straight postseasons.
Former NHL defenseman and current San Jose Sharks analyst Bret Hedican joined After Hours with Amy Lawrence on Wednesday to discuss the Leafs' playoff collapse.
"They couldn't have asked for a better scenario with the season that they had," Hedican said. "If they got by Montreal, then they would've had Winnipeg, and been thinking that they could put themselves right there in a Conference Final to get to the Stanley Cup Final. And it almost looked like the pressure got to them. And so, I think there's a lot of soul searching, I would imagine, coming out of that locker room. And particularly, guys like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. I hate to just point those two guys out, because it's the whole team there. You can't do it with just two guys.
"Every player has to be able to self-assess, and look at themselves and say, 'Why didn't I perform when it mattered in a big game like that?' And that, to me, really goes back to the mental side of the game. I think they do have a lot to deal with in Toronto. You have a lot of scrutiny... If you're a coach and you're management staff, how do you create a culture that really allows these athletes to focus on the game and allow them to block out all the noise from the outside?
"It's very difficult when you're in Toronto. But there has to be a way. And there has to be the right mix of athletes that you go and get that don't let some of that noise creep into their minds and shift the way they play in big games. Unfortunately for Toronto, they just couldn't get it done, and now they're dealing with the aftermath."
The Leafs finished the truncated regular season atop the North Division standings with 77 points (35-14-7 record) and a franchise-high .688 points percentage mark. According to the William Hill Sportsbook, Toronto entered the playoffs with the third-best odds to win the Stanley Cup (+650).
The entire NHL conversation between Hedican and Lawrence can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow After Hours With Amy Lawrence on Twitter @ALawRadio and @AfterHoursCBS, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.