For the first time in 19 years, the Toronto Maple Leafs made it to the second round of the playoffs in 2022-23. One of the players they defeated in the first round to do it appears to think it's no big deal and Toronto deserves no credit for it.
First Round
In a new interview in his home country of Russia, Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Mikhail Sergachev was very dismissive when asked about his team's loss to Toronto in the opening round.
Interviewer: "The series was pretty tough: you lost [Erik] Cernak, and [Viktor]Hedman missed one game. Did you get hurt a lot?"
Sergachev: "I don't want to give Toronto any pluses right now, they don't deserve them. Any playoff series is tough. The fact that someone got knocked out is a coincidence - wrong shoulder, bad fall."
Interviewer: "Why don't you want to give pluses to Toronto?"
Sergachev: "Well, why would I? I don't think they deserve them."
Interviewer: "They made it past the first round for the first time in 19 years!"
Sergachev: "Well done here, they made it past the first round, but they didn't make it any further. So I don't see any reason to be happy." - Sport24.ru
Despite not being in the NHL all that long, Sergachev already has two Stanley Cups with the Bolts, so he's a guy who is used to winning.
It's doubtful Toronto fans will appreciate Sergachev's bluntness in his assessment of the Maple Leafs' playoff performances, though.
Is Sergachev right in his assessment of Toronto's playoff performance?
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