Toronto Maple Leafs: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season
By Simon Vacca
![TORONTO, ON - MARCH 28: Toronto Maple Leafs Left Wing James van Riemsdyk (25), Left Wing Andreas Johnsson (18), Center Auston Matthews (34) and other Maple Leafs players celebrate setting a franchise record with the 46 win of the season after the NHL regular season game between the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 28, 2018, at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photograph by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) TORONTO, ON - MARCH 28: Toronto Maple Leafs Left Wing James van Riemsdyk (25), Left Wing Andreas Johnsson (18), Center Auston Matthews (34) and other Maple Leafs players celebrate setting a franchise record with the 46 win of the season after the NHL regular season game between the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 28, 2018, at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON, Canada. (Photograph by Julian Avram/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/0cf74d26bdded8b2e35811e6d17a345edc40e5ce056d5c9141443723525eb1cd.jpg)
1. Has their time finally come?
The fans have endured the jokes. After all, it’s been 51 years.
They’ve suffered through the heartbreak. Namely yet another defeating loss to the Boston Bruins in a winnable Game 7.
The old guard has almost entirely been replaced by a new guard of players. They’re fast, ambitious and smart with the puck. And they’re even showing signs of promise at the AHL level.
Their head coach? A Stanley Cup champion, a winner of gold medals (in multiple forms on the international stage) and a recurring nominee for the Jack Adams Award.
Their goaltender? Streaky at times, but lights-out at others. Beyond able to steal games singlehandedly. Surely a franchise netminder — and hopefully a future Vezina winner, at that.
Their D-core? Worrying, yes. But undoubtedly heading on an upward trajectory.
Their offense? Depth-ridden, deadly and capable of providing endless threats. Their centers, in particular, have been dubbed a “three-headed monster” by fans and adversaries from around the league.
It’s safe to say that the momentum is, at long last, all but definitely in the Maple Leafs’ favor. The only question, therefore, is one that can only be answered by the team members themselves. Is this, at long last, the Buds’ time?
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The up and coming season has the capacity to be momentum-shifting. It’ll be the first time in years in which Toronto is deserving of the hype that its fandom loves to build up — a prospect that is rooted in an increasingly relevant topic of rumination.
The Maple Leafs are actually good. But are they good enough?