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The five-episode Amazon series “All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs” premieres on Friday, but after watching the series over the weekend, it really does not break any new ground on why the club failed to advance for the fifth straight season.
There are the usual nuggets that we have seen in past series like 24/7, like Auston Matthew and his dog Felix, how genuinely nice Jack Campbell is, heavy use of the F-word (which lost its excitement after Bruce Boudreau) and the inside look of the locker room when things like Zach Hyman, John Tavares, Nick Foligno and Zach Bogosian’s injuries occurred.
The most interesting items involved Sheldon Keefe, who pushed and prodded the club to be better and follow certain guidelines during the season. Keefe bristled after Matthews comments about playing “too safe” after a 3-1 loss to Edmonton, saying to GM Kyle Dubas that “we played poorly because…..we didn’t want to work hard.”
Keefe also snapped at Leafs goaltending coach Steve Briere for defending and making excuses for Frederik Andersen after giving up four goals on 18 shots in a loss to Calgary.
It also provided some insight in what happened during the summer, as former Leaf Zach Bogosian lamented about not being with his wife and kids, which likely factored in his decision to re-sign with Tampa Bay.
As expected, the most informative of the five episodes was the final installment, which covered the playoff series vs. the Habs. After blowing a 3-1 lead and going into Game 7, the coaching staff was well aware of the pressures on the club, especially on Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Assistant coach and former Jack Adams Trophy winner Paul Maclean nailed the situation perfectly in saying that the dynamic duo and the club as a whole were their own worst enemies, which led to their crumbling in the deciding game.
"You can exorcise so many f**king demons, and they've got demons in their head, they've got in their car, they got them in their heads," Maclean said "The biggest obstacle this team has right now is themselves."
The series may generate curiosity, but that can be compared to not being able to turn away from watching a car accident on the road. The disappointment and pain shown by the team in the locker room after Game 7 is something that everyone will feel watching it, and that is a feeling that Leafs fans don’t necessarily need to experience again.
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Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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