Seems pretty reasonable to me.

Don't know if this is officially confirmed yet. He will be a free agent Monday, but acquiring his rights allows the Leafs to sign him for a longer term than any other team.

Anyone watching the draft? Interesting that the Leafs traded down in the first round.

And he's doing well at the World Championships!

So, whatcha all think?

This article is full of positivity and made this Leaf fan feel better. :-)

Just a little older than I. RIP I saw you play a few times.

Keefe on Thursday, five days after they were eliminated from the playoffs.

The Leafs lost a seven-game first-round series to the Boston Bruins, the fourth time in Keefe’s five postseasons as coach that his team failed to advance beyond the opening round. Nothing will define the Keefe era in Toronto more than that.

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From yesterday (May 07) but some of it may still interest others. I always enjoy Ray Ferraro's insight etc.

Management took a different approach this year, one that swerved away from past precedent: They would speak on Thursday, three days after players and Keefe. (Who exactly will speak was left unclear. GM Brad Treliving is a given. Team president Brendan Shanahan not so much. He’s spoken only sporadically throughout his decade in charge.)

Which makes for three days of uncertainty about which direction the Leafs plan to take, including whether Keefe will return next season.

What we do know is that more than a year’s worth of missteps from the people in charge are partly to blame for another lost Leafs season.

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I'd like us to get Jon Cooper as our new coach. Maybe Marner traded?

Feels like Keefe is the new Bylsma. That Pittsburgh team couldn't dominate with peak Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Fleury, and Staal. Except for the first season, I mean.

Maybe I'm just dumb.

Let's goooooooooooo!

Welcome to the TML Museum of Excitement and Anxiety! Submit your exhibits in the space below!

Line-up (via Maple Leafs Hotstove)

Forwards #59 Tyler Bertuzzi – #11 Max Domi – #16 Mitch Marner #23 Matthew Knies – #91 John Tavares – #88 William Nylander #29 Pontus Holmberg – #34 Auston Matthews – #19 Calle Jarnkrok #24 Connor Dewar – #64 David Kampf – #18 Noah Gregor

Defensemen #44 Morgan Rielly – #46 Ilya Lyubushkin #2 Simon Benoit – #22 Jake McCabe #20 Joel Edmundson – #37 Timothy Liljegren

Goaltenders Starter: #35 Ilya Samsonov #31 Jones

The Fuzz (via Scouting the Refs) Kelly Sutherland #11 Eric Furlatt #27

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According to Chris Johnston and Jonas Siegel, Matthews is unlikely to play. Just need one more huge effort to win the game and the series for AM34! Game 7 Let's gooo!

UPDATE: Stop the presses! Chris Johnston is now reporting, citing "sources" that Auston Matthews is "a good bet to return" in game 7. I'll update the roster when we learn more (done!). CONFIRMED

Update 2: Woll is out. Sammy backed up by Jones tonight.

Auston Matthews appears poised to return to the Maple Leafs lineup in Game 7 after all, according to league sources.

Matthews arrived at TD Garden on the first players’ bus early on Saturday evening ahead of Game 7. He missed Games 5 and 6 with an undisclosed injury and appeared unlikely to play against the Bruins on Saturday morning.

While coach Sheldon Keefe said that Matthews is “progressing,” he made it sound like the Leafs would play a third straight potential elimination game without their best player.

“As of right now, we’re proceeding as we’ve been,” Keefe said.

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Edit: Updated story to reflect changes. I'll update the archive in a bit.

In Game 5, the Toronto Maple Leafs planted a seed of doubt in the Boston Bruins, whose 3-1 series lead fell to a 3-2 lead.

In Game 6 back in Toronto, the Leafs cultivated, fertilized and watered that seed to make the doubt grow.

And now, after a convincing but tense 2-1 win, the Leafs have forced a Game 7 back in Boston with yet another chance to exorcise their playoff demons. In the process, they brought to mind some of the Bruins’ demons of their own, having blown a 3-1 series lead against the Florida Panthers in the first round of last year’s playoffs.

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Let's gooooooooooooo!

[This space for rent -- your semi-amusing hockey quip could appear here -- inquire below!]

Projected Line-up (via Leafs Nation)

Forwards Tyler Bertuzzi – Max Domi – Mitch Marner Matthew Knies – John Tavares – William Nylander Nick Robertson – Pontus Holmberg – Calle Jarnkrok Connor Dewar – David Kampf – Ryan Reaves

Defense Morgan Rielly – Ilya Lyubushkin Simon Benoit – Jake McCabe Joel Edmundson – Timothy Liljegren

Goalie Joseph Woll

The Fuzz Chris Rooney #5 Dan O’Rourke #9

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Per Chris Johnston, Matthews has been ruled out again. Harrumph. Oh well, if you ask me it's gonna be a big night for big nights!

On this day in 1967, the TML won the Stanley Cup by defeating the Habs, 3-1

Auston Matthews will be unavailable to the Toronto Maple Leafs as they look to avoid elimination for the second straight game Thursday. The 69-goal scorer has been ruled out for Game 6 against the Boston Bruins with an undisclosed injury, according to Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe.

Matthews also missed Tuesday’s 2-1 overtime victory at TD Garden and the third period of a Game 4 loss on Saturday. He played through an illness in Game 3.

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This wasn’t training camp. This wasn’t a Tuesday in January. This was Monday afternoon, hours before the Toronto Maple Leafs would fly out to Boston for Game 5. And there was John Tavares, the captain of the team, still on the ice fine-tuning his game.

He was the last player — by far — to leave the ice, staying out to work long past even the black aces.

“He loves hockey,” a member of the Leafs staff said.

Tavares definitely loves hockey. And he’s trying to give the Leafs every last bit he has at a point in his career — at age 33, in his 15th NHL season — when decline has clearly set in. Nights like Game 5 are reminders that his hard work can still pay off.

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Joseph Woll didn’t hear no bell.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were facing elimination and were without Auston Matthews, but their young goaltender made key save after key save in the final minutes to give his team a chance. John Tavares made a fantastic play to drive the puck to the net in overtime, and Matthew Knies jumped on a rebound to be the hero. Toronto’s scoring woes continued in a 2-1 victory, but it’s tough to argue that this was anything but an excellent road win.

Brad Marchand and the Boston Bruins better catch a flight to Toronto.

3 Stars:

1. Joseph Woll
2. Matthew Knies
3. John Tavares

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Let's goooooooo!

Submit your tortured prayers to the fickle Hockey Gods in the space below.

Projected Line-up (via Maple Leafs Hotstove):

Forwards #59 Tyler Bertuzzi – #11 Max Domi – #16 Mitch Marner #23 Matthew Knies – #91 John Tavares – #88 William Nylander #89 Nick Robertson – #29 Pontus Holmberg – #19 Calle Jarnkrok #24 Connor Dewar – #64 David Kampf – #75 Ryan Reaves

Defensemen #44 Morgan Rielly – #46 Ilya Lyubushkin #2 Simon Benoit – #22 Jake McCabe #20 Joel Edmundson – #37 Timothy Liljegren

Goaltenders Starter: #60 Joseph Woll #35 Ilya Samsonov

*Auston Matthews is a game-time decision but it ain't looking great.

The Fuzz Steve Kozari #40 Kyle Rehman #10

Update: Auston Matthews expected to be ruled out, according to Chris Johnston and Jonas Siegel: >Auston Matthews is unlikely to be available to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night, according to a person briefed on the matter.

>Matthews has been battling an illness and was forced to sit out the third period of Saturday’s Game 4 against the Boston Bruins. According to sources, he is also believed to be nursing an undisclosed injury, which made it more likely than not that he wouldn’t be able to play Tuesday with the Leafs trailing 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

It was a mostly quiet morning otherwise for the Leafs ahead of Game 5 on Tuesday and potential elimination from the playoffs. No smiles. No laughs. Not much chatter. And no sign of Auston Matthews, who left Game 4 after two periods with an illness he just can’t seem to shake.

Keefe said Matthews’ status for Game 5 had “yet to be determined” but the team is “hopeful” he can play. “Of course we’re hopeful that he’s available and feeling good and back to himself,” Keefe said. “That’s what we’re hopeful for.”

And so the Leafs are preparing to be without their best player with their season on the line.

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