Fansided

Ranking each Stanley Cup playoff team’s chances of winning it all

By Adam Strangis

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Image was created with a smartphone.) The Stanley Cup is seen on display during the PreGame
TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 27: (EDITORS NOTE: Image was created with a smartphone.) The Stanley Cup is seen on display during the PreGame /
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Auston Matthews
TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 20: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the Florida Panthers during the second period at the Air Canada Centre on February 20, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Sousa/NHLI via Getty Images) /

7. Toronto Maple Leafs

Third place in Atlantic, 49-26-7

Why they can win – They’re fast, they’re young and they’re hungry. They have plenty of skill to go around and they can out-skate just about any team in the playoffs. Led by young star Auston Matthews, the Leafs would be a dangerous matchup for just about any team. They just missed out on a top-five record in the league and that was with Matthews missing close to 20 games. Toronto made the playoffs last year and Matthews delivered with five points in six games. Coach Mike Babcock is officially one of the best coaches in the NHL and he’s been able to cover up some of the warts that Toronto has. The Leafs have nine players that reached double digits in goals. Mitchell Marner, William Nylander and Nazem Kadri are all excellent sidekicks for Matthews.

The defense is definitely the weak spot of the team. Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner lead the corps but opposing teams might be able to take advantage of them. Players like Ron Hainsey and Roman Polak probably aren’t exactly playoff quality. Goalie Frederik Andersen’s stats look mediocre, but that comes with the style Toronto plays. They aren’t going to be a grind it out team and Andersen plays better than it appears.

Why they can’t – The Leafs aren’t the traditional playoff-style team. Once the games really start to matter, too many teams are rewarded by playing defense first and putting scoring on the back burner. That’s not going to be what the Leafs do and it will be interesting to see what style will win out. They do have a 3-1 record against their first round opponent, the Boston Bruins. Boston can run and gun with Toronto but they also can grind and slow the Leafs down. It’s just too difficult to envision the defense holding up against the best competition through four rounds of playoff hockey. Toronto is getting closer but needs a little more to get over the hump.

X Factor – Patrick Marleau: On a team pretty chock full of young talent up front, Marleau can be the guiding force behind a deep playoff run. The cagey veteran still has plenty to give on the ice as he potted another 25 goals this season. Marleau has been through plenty of postseason runs before and the Leafs can lean on his experience as the games get bigger and the pressure ratchets up. Any secondary scoring is likely going to play a big role as teams will do their best to shut down Auston Matthews and the top scorers.

First Round Matchup – Boston Bruins; Maple Leafs lead 3-1-0

This matchup is similar to the Knights/Kings series out West. The lower seed might have the upper hand on the higher seed that is seen as a threat to win the Cup. The Leafs should be the underdog in this series, but it also wouldn’t be a shock to see Boston start to struggle with pace as the series grinds on. This could be a seminal moment for Auston Matthews if he can lead the Leafs into the second round over Boston.

Prediction – Leafs in 7

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