the 17th general manager in team history. During the 2018 off-season, the Maple Leafs signed John Tavares to a seven-year, $77 million contract. Tavares was subsequently named an alternate captain for the Leafs, alongside Morgan Rielly, and Patrick Marleau. On April 1, the Maple Leafs clinched a division berth for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Maple Leafs were eliminated in the First Round of the 2019 playoffs on April 23, after losing to the Bruins in a seven-game series. On October 2, 2019, Tavares was named as the team's 25th team captain prior to the Leafs' 2019–20 season opening game. On November 20, 2019, Shanahan and the Leafs announced the firing of Babcock as head coach, following a six-game losing streak. At the time, the Leafs had a 9–10–4 record and were not in a playoff spot, despite high pre-season expectations. During his tenure as the Leafs' head coach, Babcock had a record of 173-133-45 in 351 games with the team. Babcock was replaced by Calder Cup-winning Toronto Marlies head coach Sheldon Keefe. That year, the Maple Leafs were eliminated in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers on August 9, after losing a five-game series against the Columbus Blue Jackets. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions at the Canada–United States border, the Leafs were temporarily moved to the North Division for the 2020–21 season alongside the NHL's other Canadian teams. During that season, teams only played games against teams in their new divisions in a limited 56-game season. On May 8, 2021, the Leafs clinched the North Division title, giving the Leafs guaranteed home advantage in the first two rounds of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. Matthews also led the league in goals with 41 in 52 games played, becoming the first Maple Leaf to capture the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy. However, the Leafs lost in the First Round to their archrivals, the Montreal Canadiens, surrendering a 3–1 series lead in the process. Despite the devastating ending to the previous season, the Maple Leafs seamed poised to make another run, as the main roster was kept generally intact. Aided by the arrival of goaltender Carter Hutton from the Arizona Coyotes on February 21, 2022, and the acquisition of defenceman Mark Giordano and center Colin Blackwell from the Seattle Kraken on March 21, the team cruised throughout the regular season. The Leafs broke their franchise record for