Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin reminds Leafs Nation of one very important factor amid challenging season
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin recently appeared on Leafs Morning Take, revealing why fans should not count this year's team out just yet.
It's been nearly two decades since Mats Sundin last played a game for the Maple Leafs, but one thing is for certain; Mats still has the passion, even long after his retirement.
One of the most beloved Leafs of all time, Sundin held the franchise goal scoring lead for almost 19 years, dating back to 2007, when he broke Darryl Sittler's record.
A graceful competitor, Sundin was one of the first ones to congratulate Auston Matthews when he toppled Sundin's 420 goals on Saturday, scoring his 420th and 421st goals against the Islanders.
Sundin was a guest on TLN's Leafs Morning Take this week, where he discussed Matthews' emergence as the team's all-time scoring leader, as well as several other topics.
Sundin shares important message with Leafs fans about adversity
When discussing the team's struggles this season, Sundin was quick to point out something that most may not have considered, which is that adversity can breed champions. Sundin implied as much when he brought up Craig Berube's run in St. Louis back in 2019.
"I'm sure, for Leafs fans, it's a little bit frustrating, you know, that Toronto has been such a great regular season [team] for the last few years, and this year, it's a little bit of a struggle. But, don't forget, sometimes when teams go through adversity - and coach Berube could tell you about that, obviously, with St. Louis - it really strengthens the team. If you have the right people in your dressing room, the culture is going to get stronger... nothing strengthens a team better than going through some adversity."
Sundin also talked about players buying in a little more and trusting each other as they begin to work their way out of a bad situation, which the Leafs have been doing in recent weeks, going 4-0-2 over their last 6 games, collecting 10 of a possible 12 points along the way.
The season is far from over for this Maple Leafs team, regardless of how challenging the first half of the season was.
As of this morning, the Leafs sit just 4 points back of a playoff spot with 41 games remaining, so if they can really begin to tighten things up and receive meaningful contributions from all four lines, all 3 D pairs and both goalies, there's a pretty good chance that this team is going to qualify for the playoffs.
Playing to a 5-3-2 record in their last 10 games, the Leafs will need to do a little better than that, especially with teams like the Buffalo Sabres having gone 9-1-0 in their last 10 games. Tampa Bay going 7-2-1, and Montreal going 6-2-2 over that same span hasn't helped the Leafs, but it's as Sundin suggested -- the adversity may help push this team over the top.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 6 | 636 ANSWERS Maple Leafs legend Mats Sundin reminds Leafs Nation of one very important factor amid challenging season Do you think the Leafs sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card team? | ||
| Yes | 398 | 62.6 % |
| No, they'll be a top-3 team in the Atlantic | 134 | 21.1 % |
| No, they'll miss the playoffs | 104 | 16.4 % |
| List of polls | ||