Mike Johnson

They won the division and they got there by one point.

So to think that they're going to do it in the next 25, now 24 games, whatever it is, it's not going to happen.

It's not going to happen.

And there's just too many teams around them.

You know, whatever the numbers are, of course, as athletes, we tell ourselves it's possible.

We can go on a run.

We're going to play hard for each other.

We believe until we can't.

The numbers are the numbers.

They're just so far back, it's just not going to happen.

Yeah, I think, Frankie, that can be said on a lot of fronts.

Probably a case for the value of Chris Tanev as well and how much he sort of made other stuff made sense last year.

I think you forget that he's on this team.

He's played so little this year.

Like, wait a second, right, that guy and Jake McCabe were one of the best shutdown pairs in the entire NHL last year, and they haven't played at all this year.

But, yes, this idea, and I think like everything in life,

There's a balance that is optimal.

And I think as the Leafs lost, I'm talking seven, eight years ago, when they were losing those playoff rounds, the idea that they're too skilled, too soft, not enough playoff air quotes kind of players.

And they have slowly been chasing that version, the playoff-style heavy team, for like seven, eight years.

And you look at the guys they pick up, guys at the trade deadline, they're always trying to find that bit of jam and grit