67Leafs67
Registered User
- Nov 8, 2014
- 773
- 630
Or the design of the playoffs is irrational...? Like, I'm sorry, but if you finish in the top half of your Conference, you should be playing a team that, over 82 games, finished with a worse record than you.It's not irrational. The design of the playoffs make it rational.
Also losing to Boston in 7 doesn't mean TOR was the 3rd best team in the playoffs.
Winning a series will do wonders for:
1) young players
2) Andersen
3) Keefe / Dubas / Shanny (they keep their jobs)
I never said Toronto was the third best team in the playoffs last year either? All I'm suggesting is that, losing to a really good team in the playoffs doesn't make you a bad team, or a team that is "not getting anywhere" or akin to teams "drafting near the top every year".
Of course winning a play-in series is beneficial, but will it do wonders? I highly doubt it. Our players already know what it takes to win three playoff games out of five. Plenty of them have gone on much further than that in past playoffs with other teams as well. All of the narratives about "knowing what it takes to win" and "clutch" players are overblown factors that do play a role, but a much smaller one than most give them credit for, I would imagine. Even then...this series against Columbus isn't even a real playoff series. It is basically akin to winning the games down the stretch necessary to beat out other teams for a playoff spot - which Toronto has done for the past three seasons. This isn't like some new hurdle and learning experience for the team.
Also, Keefe, Dubas, & Shanahan are going to keep their jobs regardless of whether or not we succeed in the playoffs this year. Trust me, if buffoons like Burke or Ferguson Jr. could hold onto GM positions for 3 or more seasons, Dubas has a lot more leash left, and Keefe hasn't even had a full season behind the bench yet.