Toronto Maple Leafs: 5 bold predictions for 2019-20 season

1. The club will (finally) embark upon a playoff run

With the acquisition of both Barrie and Kerfoot, the Maple Leafs find themselves in a position to embark upon a serious run at a Stanley Cup. Upgrades have been ushered forth in places where upgrades were desperately needed, while the organization has utilized its surpluses to deal accordingly. As a result, it is no longer a stretch to call the team a legitimate contender. The organization has married practicality with smarts in obtaining further depth.

Assuming Dubas manages to fit the remaining RFAs — Ceci, Kerfoot and Marner — within the limits of Toronto’s available cap room, the club will ice some variation of the following roster:

• Line 1: Zach Hyman — John Tavares — Mitch Marner
• Line 2: Andreas Johnsson — Auston Matthews — William Nylander
• Line 3: Ilya Mikheyev — Alexander Kerfoot — Kasperi Kapanen
• Line 4: Trevor Moore — Jason Spezza — Nick Shore
• Defense line 1: Morgan Rielly — Tyson Barrie
• Defense line 2: Jake Muzzin — Cody Ceci
• Defense line 3: Ben Harpur — Travis Dermott
• Goaltending: Frederik Andersen — Michael Hutchinson
• Other options: Nicolas Petan, Nick Shore, Kenny Agostino, Frederik Gauthier, Mason Marchment, Jeremy Bracco, Martin Marincin, Kevin Gravel, Justin Holl, Timothy Liljegren, Rasmus Sandin

Indeed, some question marks continue to loom large. The club’s third defensive pair remains up in the air, while the matter of how Babcock will compensate for early absences in the season — as Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott are expected to remain sidelined due to injuries for up to six months — creates room for debate.

But make no mistake: the Maple Leafs will be all-in throughout 2019-20, as the organization looks to slay the dragon that has hovered over the franchise since 1967.