The history in play for Maple Leafs down the stretch

For the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the beneficial aspects of not having the richest history (at least in terms of standout individual performances) is that there is plenty of room for edits in the franchise record books. As brilliant as Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid have been and will continue to be, there are certain mountains within their respective organizations that are simply too steep for one to ever scale.

Of course, there is permanence to Toronto’s history, too. But unquestionably, more opportunities to leave an indelible mark compared to other storied and formerly dynastic outfits — certainly at the individual level.

Still there are reasons beyond the franchise’s seasons of…