'It Feels Different This Season': Leafs Camp Leaves Even Reporters Searching for Words
Photo credit: PHOTO CREDIT: STEVEN ELLIS
NHL Insider Jonas Siegel admitted the aura around the Toronto Maple Leafs has been much different, and struggled to find the direct cause for all the sudden changes.
the main goal this offseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs was to change their identity to go from a team who was reliant on a 'Core Four' group of players into a collective that works together from the top to the bottom in order to succeed.
The team is deeper than ever, closer than ever, and it seems like the changes made in the locker room while a bit scary at first, were ultimately necessary.
The environment around the locker room has changed dramatically, and it hasn't been lost on the players, coaches and even the media. There's something different going on in Leaf Land, and it's not necessarily a bad thing.
Which is why it caught NHL Insider Jonas Siegel so off guard when he was a guest on TSN"s Overdrive on Tuesday.
Siegel was asked about what it is about the 2025 Maple Leafs that may cause quite the surprise, and he almost seemed a bit lost for words:
I don't know if it's the team being different, I don't know if it's the roster, which is sort of intriguing but not as intriguing as it has been.
I don't know how to say it; it's quiet, it's dull. I think Marner leaving is significant because the Core Four is technically not around anymore. I think it's been somewhat consistent you know in years past in terms of the preseason just being a formality where they kind of know who is going to make the team.
But it feels different this season.
I don't know how to say it; it's quiet, it's dull. I think Marner leaving is significant because the Core Four is technically not around anymore. I think it's been somewhat consistent you know in years past in terms of the preseason just being a formality where they kind of know who is going to make the team.
But it feels different this season.
There certainly is something in the air when it comes to the Maple Leafs, as the aura seems a lot more relaxed and laid back compared to when Mitch Marner and even Brendan Shanahan were still around.
Craig Berube's New Atmosphere and Life Without Mitch Marner
The team has shed that baggage and are looking towards a new era, firmly led by Auston Matthews and his brand new motivation to prove everyone wrong.
It was noted by NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun during the team's opening press conference that the atmosphere in the room was night and day from last season, and how the locker room is instantly benefitting:
Sink or swim, this is more than ever Craig Berube and Brad Treliving's team. There's a calmness around this team right now. Doesn't mean they'll figure it out like the previous administration, but there's a definite calmness.
Knowing that the team is firmly in their coach's hands, and with the understanding that this is as important to him as it is to the players tells you everything you need to know about why it's calm.
It felt like Shanahan never really got it figured out, and while of course he wanted to win, there were times he made some questionable calls to try and do so.
There's no guarantee Berube and co. will either, but the tension is seemingly lifted; there's actual hope this season.
We as Maple Leafs fans always say "This is our year." We repeat it because we believe it so deeply.
And for the first time, in seemingly a long time: Toronto believes in it too.
TRENDING NOW
