May 14, 2018 10:19 pm

Rick Zamperin: Next 12 months will be interesting for Leafs, Raptors and TFC

By Rick Zamperin News Anchor 900 CHML

Toronto Maple Leafs centre William Nylander (29) celebrates his goal against the Boston Bruins during second period NHL round one playoff hockey action in Toronto on Monday, April 23, 2018.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

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What a difference a couple of weeks make.

Back on April 25, Toronto sports fans were in a frenzy as they packed into Maple Leaf Square/Jurassic Park outside Air Canada Centre to watch the Maple Leafs, Raptors and TFC all play huge playoff games on the same night.

The night didn’t exactly go according to plan, though.

The Leafs ended up losing Game 7 against the Boston Bruins 7-4 in the first round of the NHL playoffs, the Raptors beat the Washington Wizards 108-98 to take a 3-2 series lead in their playoff opener, and Toronto FC lost 4-2 on penalties against Guadalajara in the CONCACAF Champions League final.

Fast forward to now and all three teams are going through a metamorphosis.

The Leafs have moved on from general manager Lou Lamoriello and have handed the keys to one of hockey’s most treasured franchises to rookie NHL GM Kyle Dubas.

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Despite a franchise record 59 wins in the regular season, the Raptors are looking for a new head coach after they fired Dwane Casey because the team proved once again that it could not get past LeBron James in the post-season.

The Reds have gone from a record-breaking 2017 season that ended with an MLS Cup title to losing more games (6) through nine contests this season than they did all of last year (5).

There’s no question the impressive Champions League run and injuries to key players have had an impact on TFC’s play in the MLS in 2018, but the fall has been staggering, nonetheless.

Can Dubas do what countless of other GMs couldn’t do since the iconic Punch Imlach guided the Maple Leafs to their last Stanley Cup championship in 1967?

Will whoever fills Casey’s shoes lead the Raptors to even greater heights, or is this the start of the club’s decline?

And can Toronto FC finally solve what ails them after a disastrous 2-1-6 start to the MLS season?

The next 12 months for these three MLSE franchises will be very interesting to watch.

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