The Maple Leafs have played two completely meaningless exhibition games meant for players to get into game shape and for coaches and management to make decisions on fringe roster spots games against their bitter rivals, the Ottawa Senators. They lost both of them.

For a team with not only playoff aspirations, but goals of contending to be one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, this doesn’t matter at all because it’s the middle of September, these games don’t count towards the standings and aren’t an accurate representation of how the team will perform when firing on all cylinders the Leafs certainly don’t look like a Stanley Cup team.

Today’s What Would You Do Wednesday question is about how to respond to these exhibition, borderline shinny games the Leafs just dropped. Should we smash the panic button?!

The Maple Leafs just dropped back-to-back games against the Senators, our bitter rivals from Ottawa. This is a embarrassment and shame for the city of Toronto. The Senators, fresh off reaching the Eastern Conference Final, made fools of this young, weak, scared, lazy, entitled, filled-with-millennials Leafs squad.

Tyler Bozak was a DISASTER in the circle with these new face-off rules he’s never played with before. Martin Marincin, a bottom-pairing-maybe-seventh-defenceman had some TERRIBLE giveaways. Leo Komarov isn’t allowed to wear his visor anymore because he has a BAD ATTITUDE. Patrick Marleau ONLY scored one goal. The Senators get to raise a banner in their stadium for these wins and we get NOTHING. Sometimes it’s just really fun and worthwhile to get mad about hockey online!

These games don’t matter. I promise! They don’t!

Remember a few years back when the Leafs were really, really #ActuallyBad? And they would go on these tears during the pre-season and beat up the other good teams with a wealth of random grinders going all out for rosters spots? Those teams would roll into the season and get pounded, night in, night out, because looking good in a mid-September game when everyone is adjusting to new teammates, getting into game shape, working on new tendencies and systems doesn’t mean anything.

And if you don’t believe me and want to tell yourself that these games do matter for something, fine. There was actually some stuff to like. How about that Marleau-Kadri-Komarov line? They looked fast and sneaky good. Marleau is skating very well for a old dude. Also, Mitch Marner. He had a hell of a game on Tuesday and easily could have had more than one apple if JVR could pull the trigger on some setups.