Sportsnet: Luke Fox on the Jeff Marek Show on the Toronto Maple Leafs needing to win not less than one round, perhaps two, or else some changes could have to occur.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “While you take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs for the longest time, it was all the time first-round success, first-round success, first-round success. Should get out of the primary round. Last yr they did. They knocked off the Tampa Bay Lightning after which bowed out against the eventual Stanley Cup Finalists Florida Panthers.
What do you concentrate on to be success this yr for the Toronto Maple Leafs? Like what has to occur in Brad Treliving’s first yr because the manager of this team?”
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Fox: “I feel you gotta win two rounds. Or, or when you exit within the second round, there’s no excuse going out in first round. Which is perhaps too high of a bar because they’re going to be underdogs in that first round, but what they achieved last season I feel they absolutely should win a round and when you’re going to lose within the second round, you bought to push it to seven, you bought to go down fighting. You bought to depart the fan base saying, ‘Ah they need to have won that or they might have won that.’ You may’t exit the way in which you went out against Florida last yr.
And you understand, perhaps that’s unfair, because they’re the third seed. They’re going to be underdogs whether or not they get Boston or Florida, but I just think with the indisputable fact that you may have all of your, your top guys that you just’re paying gobs of cash to, they’re all having good years. (Mitch) Marner is just a little banged up at once, but they’re all having strong years. They’re all of their prime. They’ve had many, many a playoff disappointments. It’s time to see some actual results and no more moral victories. They got to win a pair rounds.”
Marek: “I don’t disagree, but I all the time come back to, what’s the following step of that sentence, and that’s ‘or else blank.’”
Fox: “I feel Sheldon’s gone.”
Marek: “I understand. Like you think that, you think that it’s a training decision?”
Fox: “I feel it’s a training decision?”
Marek: “That is two rounds or it’s a training decision?”
Fox: “Well, they’ve already, they’ve already given (Auston) Matthews and (William) Nylander they’re their monster raises. Marner has full no move. I, I don’t you understand, that’s a really complicated trade to make. What else are you gonna do?
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I feel you understand, I feel Brad Treliving saved this bullet for a reason. And I feel in the event that they don’t perform strongly within the playoffs, and I’m not, who knows the way it goes down, it may not be Keefe’s fault. I just feel like something has to vary and that’s the best change to make.”
