On Today’s episode of Junior’s Notebook, Game 7, Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs.
Frustration. Disappointment. Heartbreak. Those are just a few of the emotions running through Leafs Nation following yet another Game 7 collapse — a painful 6-1 loss on home ice to the Florida Panthers. It’s the eighth straight loss in a winner-take-all playoff game for the Toronto Maple Leafs, stretching back to 2013. Despite flashes of hope during the regular season and moments of dominance in this series, the outcome was all too familiar: the Leafs simply weren’t good enough when it mattered most.
Since 2018, Toronto’s core — Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly — has gone 0-6 in Game 7 appearances, combining for just three goals. That’s not star power; that’s playoff invisibility. When the stakes are highest, you need your best players to deliver. Instead, too many were passengers, while the Panthers overwhelmed the Leafs with early pressure, scoring three unanswered goals in the second period to effectively bury Toronto’s hopes.
This postseason pain hits a little deeper for me with the recent passing of my dear friend Albert — an avid and passionate Leafs fan who lived and breathed blue and white. Albert would go absolutely wild after every Leafs win, always bringing up memories of 1967 like it had just happened yesterday. He believed, every single year, that this could be the one. Shockingly, his heart didn’t give out because of the Leafs — he passed from heart failure, but not from heartbreak. If anything, his love for the team kept his spirit alive and vibrant. This blog is as much a tribute to him as it is a call for change.
Fans, once again, were left devastated. Jerseys were tossed onto the ice in disgust. The frustration is understandable — 19 years without a conference final appearance and now 9 straight playoff appearances without making a serious breakthrough. Toronto is 2-14 in potential close-out games during that stretch. That’s not just bad luck; that’s a franchise incapable of rising to the moment.
In the game between Florida Panthers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, the Leafs showed little fight, little urgency, and little execution in a game that demanded all three. Game 7s require competitive greatness — the ability to be at your best when your best is required. Instead, the Leafs were overwhelmed and outmatched, outworked, and outcoached. Despite a third-period goal from Max Domi to make it 3-1, the Panthers quickly shut the door with three more goals, extinguishing any faint hopes of a comeback.
The regular season success is becoming irrelevant. It’s the same outcome year after year. The culture is broken. There’s a lack of leadership, a lack of killer instinct, and a core that may no longer be capable of taking this team to the next level. It begs the question: Should the nucleus remain intact? Or is it finally time to make bold, uncomfortable changes?
Brendan Shanahan’s tenure as President of Hockey Operations may be nearing its end. After nearly a decade of “Shanaplan” hockey, the results are clear — good enough to get there, never good enough to go far. It’s a fragile fan base that’s lost faith. And rightly so.
This team needs change — from top to bottom. Leadership, culture, roster construction — all must be evaluated. Because right now, the Maple Leafs aren’t built for playoff success. And until that changes, Game 7 heartbreak will continue to define this era.
The Edmonton Oilers are the last Canadian team standing. For Leafs fans, that’s another gut punch in a season that promised so much but ended with the same bitter result.
Rest in peace, Albert. You deserved to see them win again.
