Toronto Maple Leafs: Playoff Tease Is Over...Put Andrew Raycroft Back In!

It was a good run while it lasted. The Leafs went 10–6–1 since February 2. However, now that their so called “Teaser Run” is over, it’s now time for the team to set their focus on a high draft pick.   

For those of you that don’t know what a “Teaser Run” is, NHL Insider Bill Clement put it best. Basically, a team that looks to be down and out of the playoff race, makes a late push, getting all fans hopes up, only to finish ninth and a few points out of a playoff spot, bringing down the hopes of fans.

This is a scenario quite similar to that of the Leafs' situation the past few years. In 2006, the Leafs were all but left for dead in the playoff race, only to go on a late 9-0-2 run to finish the season. They finished with 90 points, just two points out of the playoff race. Last year, the Leafs went 10-6 down the stretch, only to finish one point out of a playoff spot.

Most fans feel that these past two results pretty much delayed the rebuilding of the franchise, because Toronto finished just high enough to be kicked out of the top ten drafting order.

These are the same fans that believe that the “Frozen Five” of Kaberle, McCabe, Kubina, Sundin, and Tucker should have waived their no-trade clauses at the trade deadline so that they could have been traded to other contenders in return for a stockpile of high draft picks and young players. That didn’t happen as well, with Kubina changing his mind on a potential trade, just hours before the deadline.  

As it stands now, the Leafs are eight points out of the last playoff spot with only 12 games left. Mathematically they are still alive, but realistically, they are officially out of the race.

Now is the time to focus on a top-five draft pick and lose the remainder of their games the legitimate way.  Start backup Andrew Raycroft for the majority of these 12 remaining games and perhaps call up some players from the minors, audition them for next year.

It’s time for this team to stop getting our hopes up, because the past two years have shown us that it’s been all for nothing—a waste of time.