Another season. Another Game 7. Another bitter exit.
The Toronto Maple Leafs were routed 6–1 by the Florida Panthers on home ice Sunday night, closing the book on a 2025 Stanley Cup Playoff run that began with optimism and ended with familiar heartbreak.
This loss wasn’t just a Game 7 failure—it was the seventh consecutive Game 7 defeat for the franchise, tying an NHL record. The Leafs haven’t advanced past the second round since 2002. They haven’t lifted the Cup since 1967. And this time, there’s no easy way to spin it.
The Core Faces a Crossroads
Mitch Marner and John Tavares, two pillars of the team’s high-priced core, are slated to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Their futures are uncertain. Their legacies in Toronto, perhaps even more so.
Marner’s lack of playoff production has become a glaring issue. Tavares, though respected and still capable, looks slower and less impactful each spring. Auston Matthews and William Nylander have stepped up in moments, but this year, it wasn’t enough.
Team President Brendan Shanahan and GM Brad Treliving now face the most consequential offseason in the “Shanaplan” era. The excuses have expired. Patience has worn thin. The question isn’t just “Who stays?”—it’s “Is this core still good enough?”
Coaching and Culture
Head coach Craig Berube inherited a talented roster but failed to guide it beyond the second round. Is one year enough to evaluate his impact? Or will the front office again shuffle deck chairs while deeper structural issues go unresolved?
Fans have heard it all before: “We believe in the group,” “We were one bounce away,” “We’ll learn from this.” But the script has become too familiar.
What Comes Next
The Panthers, meanwhile, move on to face the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final for the second straight year. They are the type of team Toronto wishes it was: hard-nosed, playoff-proven, and unafraid of the moment.
As for the Leafs? The draft is next. Free agency looms. Trade speculation will dominate the summer.
And unless something fundamental changes, so will the doubts.
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