It was another year and another playoff disappointment for the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

The club was eliminated in Game 7 of the second round by the Florida Panthers in humiliating fashion, falling 6-1 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday. It was the kind of loss that stapled what has become an all-too-familiar story for this core: good regular seasons, followed by postseason failure.

In nine years with this group, the Leafs have advanced past the first round just twice. Despite star power, various head coaches and general managers, and pieces moving in and out, this era continues to fall short when it matters most.

One thing that hasn’t lacked is the passion within the fan base and the coverage of what was supposed to be a legacy-defining era for a historic franchise. However, the Panthers do not see it this way. Instead, criticism has ramped up over the past two days over comments made by Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk. The two forwards took direct aim at Toronto’s hockey environment, suggesting the pressure of the market plays a role in the team’s inability to succeed.

Marchand said immediately following Florida’s win in Game 7 that the fans and media “beat the pressure into this team.”

"I think if you look at the heat this team catches, it's actually really unfortunate,” said Marchand. “They've been working at building something really big here for a while, and they were a different brand of hockey this year, and they're getting crucified and I don't think it's justified, just because they weren't able to do it.”

“You see the pressure that Toronto faces, and everyone's talking about whatever the 20 or 30-year build up, I don't know what it is, but you see the fans and the way they're talking, like, they just beat the pressure into this team, and it's got to be tough on those guys to walk through the rink every day and not feel that. I mean, you see the way the fans treat them at the end, like, how do you not feel that every single day? And when you go through big games, you realize which are actually big games and which are just big moments,” he added.

'I Grew Up A Leafs Fan': Panthers': Brad Marchand Owns Toronto Again, But Doesn't Believe Fans' Pressure Is Justified Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones shook his head, agreeing with Brad Marchand after the veteran forward, who's now ousted the Toronto Maple Leafs from the playoffs on five separate occasions, <a href="https://www.nhl.com/panthers/video/fla-at-tor-jones-marchand-postgame-6373044656112">said the fans beat the pressure into this team</a>.

On Monday, Tkachuk followed it up with his own statement on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast.

“Sometimes you feel bad for them because they have some unbelievable players and a great team. I was actually saying this last night (following Game 7) to some of the guys. If their team was not in Toronto dealing with all the crazy circus stuff outside of it, they’d be an unbelievable team. I feel bad. We don’t have to deal with that in Florida.”

But on locker clean-out day Tuesday morning, the Maple Leafs pushed back hard on that notion. 

Player after player, and their head coach, dismissed the idea that Toronto’s passionate market is a disadvantage.

Instead, they embraced the support.

Response from the Maple Leafs: A Thread

Head coach Craig Berube: “There's pressure everywhere. I don't care where you're playing. If you're playing in that Game 7 and you're in Columbus, there's pressure to win. The only pressure that we should feel is right inside the locker room from each other. That's honestly my opinion… Matthew Tkachuk and his comments, I really can't answer that one for you.”

Captain Auston Matthews: “I don't think that's ever really something that gets talked about too much or too much of a focus on, I think. It's the nature of playing here. It kind of comes with the territory. And like I said before, I think it's an amazing place to play. I love playing in Toronto and playing for this fan base and this organization. I think that kind of stuff is just kind of outside noise that isn't really focused on or talked about too much in our locker room, I would say.”

'A Tough Year Physically': Maple Leafs' Auston Matthews Reveals How Injuries Affected His Performance This Season Auston Matthews is confident that when he enters Toronto Maple Leafs training camp in September, he'll be fully healthy.

Longest-Tenured Maple Leaf Morgan Rielly: Does the pressure and scrutiny you guys face in this market make it harder to win in your mind? “No.” Why not? “That's just my opinion.”

William Nylander: “We know we have a good team. We love playing in Toronto. I mean, the market's bigger here and it is what it is, but I believe that we'll be able to get there.”

Mitch Marner: “There's pressure everywhere. There's pressure anywhere. It doesn't matter where you are. There's always pressure, and we put the most pressure on ourselves. I mean, we hold ourselves to such high accountability. You want to win every single year, and it'd be lovely if you could. It's just hard to do. We hold ourselves to such high accountability that the pressures from the outside, I don't think, really bother you too much. It's just the more you put on yourself.”

John Tavares: “Well, I think there's an incredible following of the team, an incredible passion about the club and the history around it and why it's so special to play here. You feel that on a daily basis, and you recognize it as what makes it great. There's pressure everywhere. Certainly, there's a lot of noise playing in Toronto, but that can outweigh the pleasure and the privilege and the opportunity that it brings. Obviously, doing everything you need to do to deal with that on a daily basis and to focus on the group in here and going out there and playing and everything we need to do to have success.”

Maple Leafs’ Craig Berube Would ‘100 Percent’ Like To Retain Pending Unrestricted Free Agents Mitch Marner, John Tavares Just two days after a season-ending 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 7 of the second-round series in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs held their end-of-season media availability.

“So, there's pressure everywhere. It's an unbelievable place to play, an incredible fan base that loves its team and so badly wants to see a win. When it happens here again, it's going to be something pretty remarkable and you want to be a part of that.”

“There's pressure everywhere to win. And everyone wants to win the Stanley Cup. I think we talk about why it's the greatest trophy in sports. It's the hardest to win. It's every situation, every market is unique and different in its own way. So, my experience of being a Leaf and living through it it's been unbelievable. So, yeah, it's tough when things don't go your way and you don't have the success you want. There's a lot of noise around that because people care and they want to see it so bad. So I think to just embrace all the good and positives and the opportunity that it brings.”

‘I’d Love Another Opportunity’: Do The Maple Leafs Dare Entertain The Thought Of Running It Back Again? The scene at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night was eerily familiar.

Matthew Knies: “I mean, it's the NHL. There's pressure almost everywhere. Being in a Canadian market, I know that's kind of in a magnifying glass, and you get picked apart a little bit. But that's just, people care. People love hockey here. I love playing in this city. I think it's a blast. I just love to see how much everyone cares and really wants this place to win.”

Joseph Woll: “I think there’s pressure anywhere you play. The thing about pressure is, it comes from a good place right? It comes from us having fans that care. It comes from us having media that care, from players that care. I’ve had a unique experience of only playing for this team, so I can’t really speak from an experience of playing for a different team. But I know that there’s nowhere I’d rather play, and I’m happy how much people care. And it really makes you have to focus that much harder and really be in the moment that much more when you have that pressure. The flip side is, you don’t have pressure, and no one cares. I think it’s pretty awesome that everyone cares as much.”

Anthony Stolarz: “I think anywhere you go, there's going to be pressure. I mean, even in Florida last year, I kind of felt it, and obviously, it's a different market than here. So that pressure, I think it's a good thing now. At the end of the day, I think the pressure is going to make you better and want to make you get to the last game of the season. So in terms of Toronto, I mean, I loved it here. I enjoyed my time in my first year. So you guys and the fans are extremely passionate. It obviously sucks the way the season ended, but at the end of the day too, you get that fire in your belly in the summer and you just want to get ready for next season. You're already planning your summer training and getting things going because it sucks now, but there's nothing you can do about the past and all you can do is worry about the present and the future.”

'It's The Best Chance For Me To Win': Matthew Knies Addresses Short-Term Future With Maple Leafs Matthew Knies wants to be a part of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the long haul.

Chris Tanev: “I played in Canada for 14 and a half out of 15 of my years, so there's pressure and it comes with the territory of being in a country where hockey is the biggest sport. So I don't know if there's anything to do with why the team hasn't broken through… Probably some more microphones and cameras, and definitely than Calgary for sure. I think Vancouver can get quite big as well. So, I mean, especially when the team's doing well there, it's a fun city to play in, and there's probably just as much pressure there as there is here. So, I mean, I don't know if I can pinpoint anything that's the same or different. Every place has its own unique aspects to it, but it's Canada, and as I said before, hockey's Canada's game, and it's going to be pressure wherever you are.”

Max Pacioretty: “Yeah, I love it. It's a privilege to play under pressure, and you probably don't realize that when you're in it or when you're younger, but it's a privilege to have this many people care about how we do, and I certainly never felt this way early on in my career. It kind of builds winners and turns you into men and helps you achieve who you're ultimately trying to become. So I know that I'm not in the spotlight here and wasn't this year by any means. It's a bit of cherry-picking for me to answer it this way. However, I have been there before, and it makes me realize that I don't have regrets with how I've handled it in the past, but I do know that adversity and going through that amount of pressure kind of built me into the person and the player that I am today, and I'm thankful for it.”

“Anyone can say whatever they want, right? And everyone can have their own opinions as to how or why we lost. But at the same time, it's like you can use it against someone or you can use it to your advantage, right? I guess I'm a glass-half-full guy at this stage in my life, and I see that there are ways to use it to remain.”

'You Feel Their Disappointment': Maple Leafs React To Fans Throwing Jerseys And Debris On The Ice After Game 7 Elimination It got ugly in a hurry.

From all the players, the message was clear that the pressure exists everywhere in the NHL, and Toronto’s passionate fan base is something to embrace, not despise. Whether that belief eventually translates into playoff results remains to be seen.

But as the franchise kicks off another offseason of reflection and retooling, it’s clear the Leafs aren’t blaming the outside noise for their playoff woes.

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