Training camps so often bubble with giddy excitement and high hopes for the 82 winnable games laid out on the calendar.

This guy is fitter. That guy is stronger. So and so is faster. And am I crazy, or can you not just taste the chemistry our new winger has with his linemates?

It is against this familiar backdrop that Harvard man Alexander Kerfoot spills a refreshing dose of cold truth regarding the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2022-23 campaign.

“The regular season doesn't mean nothin’, right?” says Kerfoot, who has felt firsthand how those wonderful winters can melt so swiftly come spring.

“It’s hard to win a playoff series in this league. We know that better than anyone right now. We've lost in do-or-die games the last couple of years. Those games can go either way, but we haven't found a way to get over the hump.

“You try to learn from those experiences, but like I said, it doesn't really mean much until we get over that hump — and we can't get there now.”

By their own doing — or, rather, dying — the Maple Leafs are staring at a six-month slog during which it will be nearly impossible to sway favour.

In the court of public opinion, they simply cannot win until they do so in April.