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TSN Toronto Maple Leafs Reporter

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TORONTO — The Maple Leafs have a lot to prove in the NHL’s upcoming postseason tournament, to the league at large and to themselves.

Just ask general manager Kyle Dubas.

“I firmly believe we need to continue to take steps with our defensive play, and the number one root cause of that is just our mindset of becoming an elite team that really values how we're performing defensively,” Dubas told reporters on a Zoom call from the Royal York Hotel on Monday. “I think the players know the doubts that are on them, whether it's from media or from other teams, and they know what they have to prove. They're not upset that people say that about them; they know that we have to prove it, and I think they realize what they have to do to really see their talent reach its potential.”

Dubas was speaking from on site within the NHL’s Eastern Conference hub city bubble, where late last night Toronto's 52-person contingency officially moved in for the next couple of weeks at least.

Less than 12 hours later, the Leafs were on the bus to Ford Performance Centre for practice, to begin the final week in Phase 3 of the NHL’s return to play plan. That leaves just one exhibition game on Tuesday against Montreal and a handful more practice days separating Toronto from opening a best-of-five qualifying-round playoff series against Columbus on Aug. 2.

It’s been a long road for the NHL to even arrive at the point of playing games again, from pausing the regular season in mid-March amid the COVID-19 pandemic to cobbling together a playoff tournament in hub cities. The Leafs showed their eagerness to resume early on though, boasting near-perfect attendance throughout Phase 2's voluntary workouts in June and early July.

That development alone showed Dubas new sides of his club he'd longed to see.

“The effort that players put into it [was huge], just with their focus on the ice,” Dubas said of Phase 2. “And then what they were doing away from the rink, with how careful they were being and how they were holding each other accountable, was a really strong sign for me about the growth that we're going through as a group. The objective stuff, the talent level of the group, has never been a question. It's been the maturing and the mindset of the group that we know we have to take some strides in.”

Mitch Marner said it was no accident the Leafs came together as they did. Players could recognize the short runway from a compressed training camp and exhibition schedule into postseason hockey would be limiting, and knew the best way to meet their own expectations in these playoffs was by committing to the process.

“When Phase 2 started, everyone got back into the city,” Marner said. “We've been together for a long time, it's been competitive really since Phase 2 really opened up. I think we're really hungry to start this thing up. We're hungry to prove ourselves out here and I think we just want to make sure we're ready to go.”

A take-charge attitude towards their own preparation is what’s still impressing Dubas about his group, and feeding his belief that Toronto is primed to better itself now and in the future.

“I've certainly been very happy with what I've seen, just in terms of using these last four-plus months to really work on those [defensive problems] as a group, and a lot of that has been player-driven,” Dubas said. “Sheldon [Keefe] and I have spent a lot of time talking with the players about it, and having very open discussions about where we're at. But in the end, they've been the ones that have been executing it, and throughout these last two phases, that's been the most positive thing that I've seen. I don't know how that plays out in the short term…but I'm even more optimistic about what it does in the long run for us and where we need to go as a program.”

Dubas will be keeping an eye trained on Toronto’s future throughout Phase 4, while also staying immersed in day-to-day activities. Living just steps away from Scotiabank Arena at the Royal York, Dubas said he’ll be attending every postseason game possible, to take advantage of his unique scouting opportunity.

“The long-term is where I'm spending a lot of my downtime, thinking about where our team will be going,” he said. “And looking at various different free agents that might be available that are here playing, or even in the games that are going to be on from [the Western Conference Hub city in] Edmonton. I think this is a great chance to watch a lot of games of those players and really deeply study them before we get into what we hope will be a rapid succession of events [after playoffs].”

Eventually finding some sense of routine within the bubble, some sense of normalcy, would be ideal for the Leafs, but it could take some time.

Over its first 12 hours at the hotel, Toronto saw a myriad of procedures in action designed to protect health and safety while also restricting some freedoms. Gone are the days when head coach Sheldon Keefe would travel to the rink at 6 a.m.; he’s waiting now for the designated (and sanitized) staff bus. COVID-19 testing happens at specific intervals that can’t be missed or adjusted, and everything from team dinners to walking paths require pre-approval.

It’s a small price to pay though, to see hockey return. And if the Leafs can adjust their mindset off the ice, there’s no reason they can’t do the same on it.

“Going back to five months ago, I would never imagine that you stand in front of a computerized, artificial intelligence machine that would tell you your temperature and give you a green light or red light to proceed with your day,” Dubas laughed. “So it's much different. If you had told me this is where we were going to be at, I would have never believed it. But I think we're just excited to have the chance to be back and be playing and we'll get at that tomorrow night [against Montreal].”