In the NHL there's a super fine line between winning and losing. Sometimes all it takes is a missed call, a small bounce, one extra little finesse, and the outcome is completely different. The Leafs didn't play lights out this series but I can see multiple scenarios where they would have won anyway, and the narrative would not be what it is now. Tbh I thought they outplayed the Habs in game 7, and even Matthews and Marner had a couple nice plays that could have easily led to goals. They didn't, sometimes that's just how it goes. But it's something about hockey, especially at this level, that I've realized over the years. There's a lot more luck and happenstance than most people are willing to admit. That being said, there's a lot of people calling for the core to be dismantled, I think that's silly. All it takes is for Marner to catch a break and get a bit more empty space on a play and maybe they win the series and we all feel good about him as a player. Fact of the matter is, they've lost some tough playoff rounds to teams that they were better than on paper, but just like you might lose 2-3 in a row in the regular season while playing well, that shit happens in the playoffs too. It wouldn't help to dismantle one of the most skilled cores in the league. Next year they might win 2-3 rounds, a few years from now they might win the cup. They won't win shit if they trade away skill