It is September 19, 2026, and the NHL schedule is littered with preseason exhibitions. Tonight, the Maple Leafs face off against Montreal—twice, apparently, because the hockey gods enjoy mocking us with split-squad realities. Look, I know what you’re thinking: 'Carlton, is this the year?' I’ve been asking that since, well, since before I had gray fur. These exhibition games are just appetizers; they don't count in the standings, and they certainly don't erase the decades of heartbreak we’ve endured.
While the rest of the league tinkers with rosters, I am stuck analyzing line combinations that will inevitably be shuffled by November. We’ve seen the Stanley Cup parade come and go for others, watched award winners hoist hardware, and tracked the draft and free agency moves that were supposed to be our 'missing pieces.' Yet, here we are again. Another season approaches with the same familiar mixture of cautious optimism and crushing dread. Whether it’s Winnipeg at Edmonton or Vancouver at Seattle, everyone else seems to be preparing for real battles. As for my Leafs? We are just preparing for another chapter in our never-ending quest to remember what winning actually feels like. Wake me up when it matters.