It wasn't the ending Mike Babcock and the Toronto Maple Leafs had in mind, but it's one they shouldn't be disappointed with.

The Maple Leafs fell to the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in Game 6 after their third overtime loss of the series on Sunday night. However, the loss was not in vain.

In their final spat of the season, the Maple Leafs made the Capitals work and, even if for only a brief moment, created doubt in a powerhouse franchise.

They made the series interesting, but above all else, they proved that all the hard work by Brendan Shanahan and Co. was worthwhile and that the perceived bright future of this club is right in front of us.

Pain in the rear-view mirror

It was just a little over two years ago when the Maple Leafs hired Babcock as their head coach, who promised a lot of pain - and that pain came quickly. In his first season behind the bench, the Maple Leafs finished with the worst record in the NHL.

However, it was pain worth enduring, as the Maple Leafs received the best odds at winning the draft lottery, ultimately drafting the highly touted Auston Matthews.

The rebuild appeared to be in fast forward from there, as Matthews, along with fellow rookies Mitch Marner and William Nylander, and the rest of the Maple Leafs cast surprised many by earning their first playoff berth in a full 82-game season since 2004.

We know how that ended.

The Maple Leafs were expected to still sit outside the postseason at season's end, but instead they nearly ousted the league's top team, making it quite clear that just earning a playoff spot will no longer be the team's goal next season.

Capitals were huge measuring stick

While the Maple Leafs did ultimately fall to the best team the NHL had to offer, they got a strong taste of what it takes to win.

The Maple Leafs held their own against the team that paced the league in points, ranked third in goals scored, while allowing the fewest against.

The Maple Leafs pushed the Capitals to overtime in five games, coming up on the wrong side of things in three of those contests. They went up against the best in the league and were separated in most cases by just a single shot.

Morgan Rielly said postgame that the Maple Leafs proved they could play with anyone, and that is most certainly the case.

Andersen has ended goaltending controversy

It's unfortunate that arguably Frederik Andersen's strongest game of the year was a losing effort.

Andersen turned away 34 of the 36 shots thrown his way with Marcus Johansson's two tallies being the only pucks to get by him.

However, throughout the regular season, and more notably in the playoffs, Andersen proved the Maple Leafs no longer need to try to poach an up-and-coming backup goalie from a Western Conference club.

It had really become a recurring pipe dream for the franchise.

When the games really mattered, Andersen stood to the task and played as well as any goalie in the league. He was arguably the team's most valuable player during the season and was vital to the team in making it as far as it did in the playoffs.

His contract might have been a risk by management, but for once in a very long time, the Maple Leafs look to have nabbed the right guy.

The 2016-17 NHL season will go down as one to remember for Maple Leafs fans. It will be remembered as being the first sign of hope and promise in a franchise that for so long lacked both.

The Maple Leafs have recaptured the love from a city whose passion for hockey had wilted and it's only up from here.

(Photos courtesy: USA Today Sports)

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