3 bold predictions for the Toronto Maple Leafs
By Marci Rubin
2. The Maple Leafs will make it past the first round of the playoffs
Whether or not the Maple Leafs win their division, they’re a team considered in contention for the Stanley Cup in 2023-24. The Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967. Last season, they made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The next prediction on this list is that the Maple Leafs will make it past the first round of the playoffs again. What makes this prediction bold is that the Maple Leafs have only made it past the first round of the playoffs once in nearly twenty years.
From 2006 to 2016, the Maple Leafs only made the playoffs once, losing the first round in 2013. From 2017 to 2022, the Maple Leafs were stuck in a first-round curse. Six seasons in a row, they qualified for the playoffs and were swiftly eliminated in the first round. Last season, they broke the curse when they knocked out the Tampa Bay Lightning in round one and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They were then eliminated in that round by the Florida Panthers.
What competition do they face in the Eastern Conference on the road to a Stanley Cup Final? Outside of the Atlantic Division, there are multiple teams in the Metropolitan Division that are threats and serious Cup contenders. The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils are the biggest threats in the Metro, with the New York Rangers also in the mix. In the Western Conference, the strongest teams are the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars.
The Maple Leafs have the players needed to make a Stanley Cup playoff run. They expect big years from Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, and Ilya Samsonov. Rookie Matthew Knies should be in the conversation for the Calder Trophy. Even though they broke that first-round curse last year, they only won one game against the Panthers in the Conference Semifinals. For a team of their caliber, expectations are higher for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Will the Maple Leafs deliver?