SIMMONS: How do you fix the Leafs? Complicated off-season ahead for Shanahan and Dubas

When Pat Quinn was in charge of the Leafs, they won 13 playoff rounds in seven seasons. That was somewhat expected in the late 1990s. That seems a lifetime ago now. Today, one victory in one round would make Leafs fans dance.

So the heat is on Dubas now to take this group, be bold, be strong-minded, be creative, and not be as petulant or childish as he came off on his year-end Zoom interview call Wednesday.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Dubas attacked a variety of subjects and questions, including the criticism of Mitch Marner, and I wondered: What criticism of Marner? I haven’t read any or really heard anything of consequence.

“I don’t get the criticism of Mitch Marner one bit,” said Dubas, speaking to a media group that rarely criticizes Marner. “I really struggle with it. He’s a guy that plays his ass off every night.”

He was all emotional about something that doesn’t really exist.

I prefer the way Brendan Shanahan treated his year-end interview. This is Year 6 for Shanahan, who has done a marvellous job of re-positioning the Leafs. But he has no playoff-round wins.

That stings. And he knows it stings.

“Words,” said Shanahan, “aren’t going to fix this.”

Actions, the right actions, need to be made. But for now, questions leading into actions, then more questions.

If you go back and survey the four-year playoff history of this group, it begins with rookies going stride-for-stride with a Washington Capitals team that would go on to win the Stanley Cup one year later. That Leafs team was audacious and wide-eyed and so excited about the future. Matthews, Marner, Nylander and Hyman were all in their first full seasons. And they were already knocking on the Stanley Cup door.