The Toronto Maple Leafs and Winnipeg Jets are two of Canada’s most talented hockey teams — but since 2019, they’ve combined for just TWO playoff series wins. Despite star-studded lineups with names like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, Kyle Connor, and Connor Hellebuyck, neither team can break through the playoff wall. Why?
In this deep-dive video, we break down:
🚨 Why Auston Matthews and Kyle Connor continue to underperform in the playoffs
🧊 Connor Hellebuyck’s playoff numbers and whether he can still be the guy for Winnipeg
🤔 The future of Mitch Marner and John Tavares — will they stay with the Leafs?
🔁 How the Jets and Leafs have become mirror images of each other: strong on paper, soft in the playoffs
📉 The cold hard truth about team culture, roster construction, and Canadian market pressure
🛑 What has to change if either of these teams wants to make a serious Stanley Cup run
⚠️ If you’re a Leafs or Jets fan, or just tired of playoff heartbreak, this is the video you can’t miss!
💬 Drop your thoughts in the comments — should these cores be broken up?
📌 Don’t forget to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE for more NHL deep dives, playoff breakdowns, and Canadian hockey content!
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48 Comments
Part of the pleasure of the Stanley Cup playoffs are the insane post game rants by "cult" Leaf fans each time their team gets embarrassingly dumped. As expected, today is no exception. I guess some people just enjoy their peculiar mental illness. 😂
recent subscriber — one of your Canes fans who found your excellent insights in the first round. Just love your thoughtful and in-depth analysis that remains reachable for those of us still learning. Keep it up, and thanks!
I’m here to collect Toronto Tears ❤️
Zito moved on from Huberdeau because he thought we’d never win with him.
Do you think it’s time for the Jets to move on from Hellebuyck?
Is that even reasonable in your opinion, or completely out of the question?
I certainly think it’s beyond time for the Leafs to make huge changes.
Good stuff as always, Coach👊🏻
I think comparing any 2 teams is foolish. Way too many variables for an accurate comparison. I agree with some of your team-specific analysis, but it would be more valuable to go deeper on each team rather than try and compare them.
The tough division canard is a crutch for losers.
I doubt the Leafs locker room is a very nice place compared to their playoffs competitors. In that sense, Rantanen could've been a great pickup. Now we have Marner and Matthews talk about "passengers" like they were worth their contracts. It starts at the top. Big moves are needed.
Tons of great comments pointing out the huge difference between the 2 teams and how ultimately they faced adversity. The question is now…. What do they need to do to continue pushing fwd?
The Jets
They need to find a way to address the 2nd Line Centre position. whether internal or via acquisition.
if this playoff showed anything the bottom 6 has a ton of great checkers, but hands of stone was all too often the case. Upgrading in that area to get some more secondary scoring would go a long way in improving the team fortunes.
Ehlers showed his game significantly took strides, re signing him is a must.
Defence
if the possibility to upgrade Demelo emerged to add more size I'd take it. love his game but adding a bigger body to back up Morrisey could help
The 3rd pairing has tons of internal options right now, stability there with a puck mover so all 3 pairs have break out potential would be ideal.
Leafs
They actually imo improved a great deal with players like Knies, Domi and Benoit showing solid grit and play throughout. Their goal tending tandem is a decent A/B setup.
acquisitions like OEL were great as well. The problem here is the core leadership. If Marner Walks, I'm trading Matthew's to fill out the top 2 lines. Taking that 25 million in Salary savings and putting that into overall improvement
As a non leafs and non jets fan that watched both series, I thought Kyle Connor looked better than Matthews. He was driving the net a lot more and seemed to be pushing plays.
You dont need a video 4 this they failed 4 not trying in a smart way & sloppiness. If Edmonton doesnt make it again.. im blaming Toronto for the 35 yrs Canadian teams are cursed.
I understand the argument of losing to a better team, but the leafs refuse to learn from their previous series defeats. I'm a oilers fan, this team has learnt to win those games with better shooting or better defence.
Jets lost in the 1st round last season. They lost in the 2nd round this season. They nothing like the Leafs. Both have failed to reach 3rd round yeah. Both defenses have one in common. Can't defend when it counts!!! It shows this year's playoffs. Jets defense got past the Blues barely. But couldn't finish off the stars and cause a game 7. Ouch.
Don't know why, maybe Bettman has a definitive answer
I’m actually not as disappointed as I was in 24,23, and 19. This team didn’t just fold up and for the most part played with guys. There are however clear holes that at glaringly obvious to even the most neutral of observers. Lack of a partner to play beside morrisey. Lack of depth scoring coupled with poor special teams play. And the jets fatal flaw of relying on players who are loyal to Winnipeg( apples, Demelo, Namestnikov) come to mind. Clear upgrades were needed not just at the deadline but at the beginning of the year.
The Jets play in the toughest division against superstars, teams that get to buy their teams and desirable locations.
The Jets had to build through the draft, good signing, player loyalty and fight against taxes, bad weather and the city’s stigma.
Toronto gets the luxury of years of free agent signings because every kid from Ontario wants to play there. Winnipeg has had to do it the hard way.
The Jets did not fail. Who saw the jets fail ?
Its the playoffs a lot of fan bases need to grow up. In the modern NHL with caps and support for the lowly market teams. ANY of the 32 teams on any given night can take down the top team in the league. ANY.
Playoffs roll around and the top 16 make the cut. Of those 16 ANY of them are capable of sweeping any other with a handful of good bounces, and maybe the odd well timed heroic performance. That is the way it supposed to work anyway (teams cheating the CAP the last few months aside).
The Jets played a super hot Blues team and squeaked out a win. Everyone is quick to pile on Helly. You know what give the Blues some credit. Their video guys and coaching staff obviously poured over a ton of Helly tape and boils up a recipe for the highest % plays. The blues clearly had orders if you find yourself with a shot at X or Y take it. Yes the pass makes more sense mostly but take the damn shot. That was a fantastic bit of coaching from a team 100% bought in. Good on the Blues. The stars are the stars… they pick up Ranta, they were already solid, they are built to go and will likely take out the oil next. Jets hung in and gave it their all shut them out twice… they left it on the ice in game 6, going down 2-1 in OT.
The Leafs… the leafs have to deal with the terrible leaf fans. I would never want to play for TO. Come up short in a GAME 7 of the SECOND Freaking round against a Cap cheating stacked defending Cup champ… and get beer thrown at you. F the leaf fans they don't deserve a winning team. lol
I think the fans put it best when they threw a beer at the leafs bench, boo’d marner off the ice, and threw a $200 Mathew’s jersey on the ice in the middle of play.
Someone made an AI vid of Matthews telling us what a choker he is. IT was the most hilarious thing I watched that was actually therapeutic last night. Hilarious yet true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRCuHGNpJtI
The jets showed up, the leafs didn't. Not the same team. Jets actually deserved to win, if not for game 3 and the momentum shift courtesy of the nhl.
The Jets fans didn't turn on their team while realizing that they were going to lose
I don't see them as the same team at all. Toronto is more offensive heavy in talent, and Winnipeg is an overall balanced team with less top end scoring, but a better blueline, and an elite netminder. They deal with very different problems with their market. Winnipeg has the struggles of a smaller market in a harsh climate. Toronto has the challenge of a big market with a lot of negative pressure. I'm a Stars fan and I was most scared of Winnipeg last year in the west…so when Colorado knocked them out in Rd1 I was surprised. Then last summer with Stamkos heading to Nashville and Minnie getting more experience most prognosticators counted the Jets out. Then they ripped up the regular season and I was scared of them again. I think Winnipeg isn't that far off. I agree on Toronto, they don't really scare me. I think Winnipeg is closer than folks realize. Anyways…I don't think Florida is beatable now. But somehow a Leafs team I counted out took them to 7…so maybe I'm wrong again.
They are the exact same team at the end of the day as they rarely if ever step up when it counts. The door is closed on the core 4 in Toronto and rapidly closing on the core in Winnipeg as a group. Maybe 2 years left in Winnipeg before it needs to be shaken up, 3 at the most. They are and always have been regular season teams that never adjust when you need to. The Jets have been perennial we can play for 15 – 20 min a night and still win because the goaltender will always carry us when we don't want to put in the effort. The Leafs have always been at their core never fight or push back when the going gets tough and you have to fight for every inch. Sure the Central is stronger a little then the Pacific, 4 potential threats in the division as opposed to 3 but you have to deal with the hand your dealt. No excuses. Maybe don't try and rely so heavily on the Goaltender all season and he might have a little more in the tank come playoffs for the Jets and as for the Leafs they simply need players at the core that want more then just big money.
Run it back ? Lmfao , smoke another one ! Why throw away your credibility defending that joke of an organization ? The playoff format is fine , the better team always wins , thats how sports work , why does it matter what round it happens in ? You think it should be a free ride clippin off 8 seeds the whole way ? Well then what ? Its still ALWAYS best on best in the end . Losing to an eventual cup winner means nothing , everybody lost to them . . . Bad takes dude 🤷
How's this take. If Marner had accepted that trade to the Canes for Rantanen both Jet and leafs would be in the Conf finals. Even Jet fans hate Marner.
You can stop your comparison by simply looking at what the Maple Leaf's are paying their 4 top players compared to the Jets. You can also stop your comparison when you realize that the Jets as a team have heart and played with that heart in these playoffs, whereas the Maple Leaf's have no heart. Most noticeably, their core 4 are an embarrassment. There really is no comparison between these two teams. The Jets are a better TEAM by far.
So glad i didnt but my 7 year old a leafs jersey….i actually almost pulled the trigger….lol…guess they will have to settle for leafs toilet paper instead
Great to see on my local favorite podcast, the OG!
Not a fan of either team but the way I see it: the Leafs need to blow up the whole core. The losing culture has become an identity for them so they will never succeed with that group. Let Marner & JT walk, ship Matthews and Nylander and start building around Knies. He seems to have it. The 4 on the other hand, none of them is a leader and the lights are just too bright in big moments. They should all do well as a part of a team where they can focus only on scoring and have someone else wear the letters.
For Winnipeg: well, it's the toughest division like you said. WPG is a stellar team but so is nearly everyone else in the Central. For them to stand a chance, regular season Helle needs to show up and that fact can't be escaped.
Dont sleep on Utah in the Central Division. They’ve been progressing in the last couple of years
I do want the playoff format to change, I also think that saying the pacific is easier is hot garbage.
Thanks as always. They also share the fact that they are Canadian market teams and get taxed based on where they play. As such, both teams need to spend a little more to sign and retain players. For the Leafs, it is a bit worse because there are three Canadian teams in their division. This issue always looms large, as the salary-cap NHL is not friendly to Canadian franchises. Look at what the CRA did to Tavares — that may alter whether he stays in Canada; boyhood team or not.
Good luck next year Jets and Leafs!
at 1:45…. did he call WPG a big hockey market??
What would you call VAN or MTL by contrast to them?
The Core Four need renaming.
The Core….FORE! ⛳🏌♀
I gotta buy a microphone too. Two very different teams guy. 🙄
Im a homer so Jets are my team. Jets don't have the same level of talent in their core as the Leafs. Jets rely on the entire team but in the last few years they haven't been able to get past the elite talent in the league.
😂😂😂peg city made it too the cup finals …what do u mean the same
Didn’t even realize the Harley-Schiefele number connection. Wow.
Going to be very interesting to see what the Jets do with Ehlers in the offseason. He was a guy that did something to jump off the screen (to me at least) in every game of the series against the Stars. Kneis is going to be a good one. Really like that kid. He strikes me as a (potential) future captain.
Another reason the Jets are not like the Leafs. They are more physical!! Have bigger bodies at the right positions. I'd have my money on the Jets, if they faced the Maple Leafs. Cuz they would crush them defensively! And score just as bad on them like the Panthers did!! Leafs think offense and barely any defense will win another series. They got lucky against Ottawa, cuz their defense slipped like they did in the panthers series!!!😂😂😂😂😂
Hawk fan here, I have no horse in the race. With that being said I do not put Toronto and Winnipeg in the same basket. I have watched every game of the play offs for years. I could back the Jets no problem. The Leafs no way.
The Jets will be interesting next season, the chip on their shoulders will be bigger.
The jets actually put up a fight. The leafs just roll over and die
Connor and Matthew's… Americans… Tkachuk is the only big name american I can think of playing right now who brings it in the playoffs. There are probably others, but that is why they haven't won a major international tournament in a while.
We ain’t the same, leafs went out like punks, jets went out on there sword
Jets got lucky STL collapsed in gm 7, they had no business in rd 2
Kyle Conner had 17 points in 13 games. Couple GWG’s this is a strange take from a guy with a Conner Jersey on the wall. KC gets points that’s his job. He did his job in my opinion. He’s not built to run people through the boards. He scored at the same rate in the regular season as he did in the payoffs
7 of the top 8 teams didnt make the 3rd rnd.
President cup winner never wins the cup.
Washington was the last time and one of the only times a top ten most valuable team won the cup.
No canadians team has won in forever.
What has happened is deep south teams have won that needed help. In 6 years
2 cups for tampa and a final loss 2 for Florida ( including this year ) and a final. 1 for Vegas 1for Colorado. All deep southern teams. Runner up dallas and vegas.
This year 3 of the final 4 deep south.
There is no point to change, regular season success is the only real chance of success especially for Toronto. Most valuable, and canadian .
The frustrating thing for me as a Jets fan is that Winnipeg managed to get through the first round and stay close in the 2nd round playing pretty mediocre hockey most of the time.
Then when the Jets finally begin playing near the level they are capable of the get knocked out in an OT squeaker for Dallas.