Why can’t the Toronto Maple Leafs win in the playoffs? This deep into the run of futility, there are endless theories.

For a decade now, the Maple Leafs have been reliably two things: regular season outperformers, and playoff underperformers. It’s as maddening a mix as you can find.

They’ve overhauled the front office. They’ve fired coaching staffs. At this point, there’s nothing left to do but turn attention to the core of the lineup.

Auston Matthews is one of the best hockey players on Earth, but his goal scoring seems to dry up every spring. If Matthews’ scoring drawdown is of concern, Mitch Marner’s is at DEFCON 1. Morgan Rielly can be a mistake factory in critical situations against pressure. John Tavares turns 35-years-old in September. And William Nylander, perhaps the only Maple Leafs player who has improved his postseason reputation over time, has a fresh $92-million dollar contract consuming more than 12 per cent of the salary cap next year.

It’s a mess.

But the calls to blow up the lineup because........

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