As if the Toronto Maple Leafs need more pressure to win in the playoffs, the coach, players due for extensions and pending UFAs badly need some post-season success, says Lyle Richardson.
The Toronto Maple Leafs' decades of post-season frustration is well documented.
No Stanley Cup since 1967. One playoff series win since 2004.
Before their current series against the Boston Bruins, someone pointed out that the last time the Leafs beat them was 1959.
As if the Leafs players and the franchise needed more pressure heaped on them.
There could be a lot riding on the Maple Leafs' performance in this post-season.
Winning their first playoff series in 19 years last spring didn't save Kyle Dubas, who stepped down or was fired (depending on who's telling the story) as GM last May. Dubas landed on his feet with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he has his hands full trying to rebuild their aging roster without actually calling it a rebuild.
But I digress. The Leafs are under a lot of pressure this year. Winning this series would mercifully end those 65 years of post-season futility against the Bruins, but another second-round exit won't please the Cup-hungry denizens of Leafs Nation.
Heaven help the Leafs if they fall to the Bruins once again.
Exiting in the first or second round could cost some folks their jobs.
Brad Treliving took over as GM last summer, so he's probably safe.
The same cannot be said for coach Sheldon Keefe or team president Brendan Shanahan.
Following the Leafs' opening game loss to the Bruins on Saturday, the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons observed how much Shanahan needs a playoff run after 10 years as club president. He also noted Keefe needs one after five years behind their bench.
Simmons seemed to suggest both men could feel the heat if the Leafs fell short again.
Turning to the players, superstars Auston Matthews and William Nylander aren't moving after signing expensive contract extensions.
Mitch Marner is a year away from UFA eligibility. So is captain John Tavares, whose best seasons are behind him. Both have full no-movement clauses, so they won't become trade candidates unless they want out.
The Leafs Nation's Steven Ellis believes this post-season will be make-or-break for pending UFA goalie Ilya Samsonov. Fellow UFAs Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi could also get their walking papers.
No pressure at all.