It is Wednesday, October 7, 2026, and if you are a Leafs fan, you know the drill: we are currently sitting at 2-2-0 with 80 games left to play. The season is very much alive, though my optimism remains as fragile as ever. We are just two games back in the Atlantic Division, firmly in the race, and absolutely nothing has been decided—which is both a relief and a terrifying prospect. I watched the boys pull out a 5-4 victory against Nashville on Tuesday, October 6, and while the win was nice, I have seen this movie before. We look good, then we look lost, and somewhere in between, I age another decade. There are three games on the docket tonight, including Pittsburgh at Washington, Colorado at Winnipeg, and Edmonton at Anaheim, but my focus is strictly on Toronto’s ongoing quest to stop breaking my heart. We have 80 games to prove we are contenders, but for now, it is just another day of cautious hope in a city that has been waiting since 1967 for a reason to actually celebrate. Buckle up, folks; it is going to be a long, stressful ride.