Harold Ballard created the playbook for the modern leafs, it goes like this:
Leaf nation will ensure the AC is sold out every game no matter what therefore…
Replace plausible winning team with a team of broken legged monkeys and maintain cash cow that is the leagues most valuable team, oh I meant the leafs. They could finish the regular season 0-82 and still sell out the next year.
Maybe with the new agreement we will see another team in the GTA to force the leafs into being a competitive team. Until then I can only hope one day a Canadian team might win it just to prove its not a conspiracy!