from Terry Koshan of the Toronto Sun,

Time for the fun — or serious hard work — and meeting expectations to begin.

The Maple Leafs, their final roster nearly set, are ready for everything that 2018-19 will bring.

And with a pair of first-round losses in the past two Stanley Cup playoffs relatively fresh, the Leafs collectively shake their heads at the idea a similar fate could be awaiting them next April.

“We’ve been there, done that,” defenceman Morgan Rielly said. “We have done the thing where we make the playoffs and lose in the first round. It’s not very fun and I think we’re tired of that.

“The goal is to start with a good couple of months, build toward a playoff push and make the playoffs and go from there. You have to take it one step at a time, but when you look at the big picture, you want to play longer and have a shorter summer than we did in the last two years.”

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