Heartbreak and tragedy go hand in hand with the legendary blue and white jerseys of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but fans are usually spared from the worst of the misery until playoff season.

Toronto might not have to wait for spring this time, as some are already sparing themselves the long emotional rollercoaster and abandoning hope on a team that has disappointed year after year.

Sure, it's a long season and we're only six games in, but the Leafs' latest blowout loss, falling 7-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins, stung especially hard.

Final pic.twitter.com/eqa6dNxqjZ

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 24, 2021

The Penguins were missing the core of their roster, making the loss all the more upsetting. Adding insult to injury, former Maple Leaf Kasperi Kapanen — traded to Pittsburgh in 2020 — racked up a pair of assists during the game.

Rough night for Leafs fans. pic.twitter.com/zPk7xYwFlJ

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) October 24, 2021

The Leafs' top six forwards earn over $27 million combined more than Pittsburgh's top six.

Tonight's top-six forwards, by total cap hit:
Toronto Maple Leafs - $43.95 million
Pittsburgh Penguins - $16.88 million

— luke fox (@lukefoxjukebox) October 23, 2021

It was the Buds' third L in a row, and the fourth in just five games. The jokes and memes at our expense were inevitable.

You can tell it’s Fall when the Leafs are dying.

— Penguins Jesus (@PenguinsJesus) October 24, 2021

Anyone watching the game could tell that both fans and players were already reaching playoff-level frustration well before the horn sounded to end the third period and a surprisingly merciless beatdown.

the toronto maple leafs organisation summarised in 11 seconds pic.twitter.com/FG7pDoQLk5

— hockey watcher (@lenaonfilm) October 24, 2021

With another tough loss in the books and the wounds of last year's epic playoff collapse still festering, faith in the team is spectacularly low right now.

Of note is how deep the #leafs malaise is infecting the fanbase -- the team's underperformance is causing huge ripples. I've never seen the faith in the product so low.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) October 24, 2021

Some fans are openly discussing trading core players, with a few even calling for a rebuild of what many consider one of the most stacked teams in the NHL.

I think I speak for all Leafs fans when I say we need to trade Marner. He has accomplished nothing during his time as a Leafs. He has brought nothing but anger and disappointment to the fan base. We should trade him for Ben Chiarot. Coming from an honest Leafs fan btw

— JB (@CFC_JB_) October 24, 2021

Of course, with 76 games left to play, it's obviously far too early to count anyone out of the playoff picture, and tearing down the team a few games into a slow start is less likely than a 60-year-old Wayne Gretzky coming out of retirement this season.

Calm the f@#$ down, we're 6 games in and Marner is one of the best playmakers on the team. This fan base is the worst

— Brian Cox (@BrianCo32620477) October 24, 2021

The Leafs will hopefully pull it together soon and make a dominant run to a postseason position, building up our hopes in typical fashion before ripping our hearts out like a culturally insensitive Indiana Jones antagonist.