The Dream is Over...Again.

Today, we mourn the 2011-12 Toronto Maple Leafs.  As of 10:00 PM EDT, the Maple Leafs saw their playoff hopes die at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.  Their season began with so much promise, and everyone thought James Reimer would be that guy who would be the team's goaltender for the foreseeable future.  Then, he got concussed, and he was never the same player.  A 1-8-1 stretch in February doomed the Leafs and caused an ouster of Ron Wilson as the head coach, and not even his replacement Randy Carlyle could save the Leafs.

For every Phil Kessel, there were guys like Tim Connolly who didn't quite produce to their contract numbers, and for every Dion Phaneuf, there were guys like John-Michael Liles and Mike Komisarek who didn't live up to their billing, and in the case of Komisarek, hasn't since he joined prior to the 2009-10 season.  Then there were the Mikhail Grabovski trade rumors that ultimately never happened, and given the Leafs' state right now, they could have gotten something for a player who is never going to be better than he is now.  And let's not forget Nazem Kadri.  Remember him?  The player that was supposed to be a star after being drafted in the first round in 2009?  I think it's time for the Leafs to move him for his own good, as right now, the Leafs are a dysfunctional bunch, and in the event that you don't know where the bulk of the blame should be directed, it's the guy who put the team together, meaning General Manager Brian Burke.