TORONTO — The chance to chase another Stanley Cup is worth so much to Kyle Clifford that it’s left him open to all of the ideas floating around about how the NHL might resume its season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Playing through the entire summer and into the fall?
No problem.
Jumping straight into an expanded 20- or 24-team playoff tournament?
Let’s do it.
“You’re still playing for the Stanley Cup,” Clifford said Wednesday. “It’s going to be a different format — I think there’s no question in that — but it’s the greatest feeling.”
His is an interesting perspective because you can easily count the reasons why he might otherwise feel differently. Clifford has already seen his name etched into the rounded edges of the Stanley Cup twice during his days with the Los Angeles Kings and had only invested 16 games worth of sweat into the Toronto Maple Leafs after coming over in a February trade.
The 29-year-old is also a father to three young sons and doesn’t currently have another guaranteed dollar coming his way as a pending unrestricted free agent.
You wouldn’t fault someone in that situation if he was inclined to place his own family or business concerns ahead of the NHL’s desire to stage a modified playoffs in empty arenas, but Clifford is unequivocally supportive of those efforts.
“It’s going to be different, but I think playing for a Stanley Cup is better than not playing for a Stanley Cup at all — regardless of the format,” he said.
“I think just speaking with the guys on our team there’s a real strong appetite to get playing no matter the circumstances. We look at our group and we like our chances.”
That upbeat attitude isn’t shared by every NHL veteran who has essentially been in limbo for nine weeks since the season was paused back on March 12.
However, it does provide a window into why Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas pushed to have the heart-and-soul winger included in the trade that also brought backup goaltender Jack Campbell over from Los Angeles.
Clifford is a culture-shifter counted on for contributions that run deeper than his modest scoring or time on ice totals. There’s certainly value in having an experienced voice on the team who looks at the challenges on the horizon and sees opportunity rather than roadblocks.
Clifford and his wife, Paige, took their kids north to cottage country when the pandemic hit and settled into a typical off-season routine. The boys were even brave enough to jump into the frigid lake one day.
As for dad, he’s not expecting the process of getting back into game shape to be too taxing despite not having skated since the Leafs last practised on March 11.
“I think I’ll have a better idea after my first week of that little mini training camp,” said Clifford. “I don’t think it’s going to take as long as most people are going to think. It’s just more of a matter of preventing injuries for guys.
“We don’t want any soft tissue or hamstring injuries that are going to put guys out for next season.”
While being careful not to make any statements that might interfere with ongoing discussions about the NHL’s return-to-play plans, he is hoping that families will be included in the setup provided to players.
“If you’re going to be drinking out of the Stanley Cup at the end of it all, I definitely would like my family there,” said Clifford.
At least the Leafs know they’ll be included in whatever playoff format is selected.
They sat third in the Atlantic Division when the season was paused and were coming off a victory over the Tampa Lightning, the team they were most likely to face in Round 1 under normal circumstances.
The modified path to a championship may now include a best-of-three, play-in series before Round 1 starts — not to mention the lengthy unforeseen break brought on by the pandemic — but it hasn’t dimmed Clifford’s enthusiasm for the challenge ahead.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to win two (Stanley Cups) and I think it only makes you hungrier to win another one,” he said. “I know, speaking with the guys on our team, we have a young team and they’re hungry, they want it. They want it for the city of Toronto bad.
“It’s been 50-something years since they’ve won and I don’t think there’d be any greater feeling than to take it down those streets in Toronto for a parade.”
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