After back-to-back playoff appearances and first-round exits, the still-young Toronto Maple Leafs had their fan base buzzing that the continued maturation of the roster would eventually lead to longer post-season runs and, potentially, even their first Stanley Cup championship since 1967.
The signing of free agent John Tavares on July 1 sent the hype train into high speed and between him, Auston Matthews and Nazem Kadri, the Leafs suddenly had one of the best centre trios in the NHL.
But if you thought these Stanley Cup aspirations were premature, or relegated entirely to the loyal locals, it’s time to reassess. Taking a look at the betting odds, the Leafs rank among the league’s best. And when some of the NHL’s top players were asked to pick their Cup favourites at this week’s media availability in Chicago, the Blue and White came up more than once.
“If you see young and hungry, I think it’s Toronto,” Pittsburgh Penguins centre Evgeni Malkin told NHL.com.
Malkin’s teammate Sidney Crosby, according to the article, picked two teams as his most likely to win: the Capitals repeating, and the Maple Leafs.
Carolina’s Jaccob Slavin doesn’t have the name recognition of Crosby, Malkin, Kane or Seguin, but is a young defenceman on the rise. He, too, was asked to make a Stanley Cup pick, and his response continued this trend.
“It’s a tough one, but I think with the moves, I think Toronto has a really good chance this year,” he said. “I think it’s a trend. I think they have a pretty solid (defence) corps, but with the pickup of Tavares, Nylander and Matthews maturing more, I just think they’re going to be a dangerous team this year.”
While the Maple Leafs’ forwards are the focal point of all this buzz, questions around the team’s defence remain. The Leafs allowed the fourth-most shots in the NHL last season (33.9 per game), the worst mark of any playoff team. In a six-game series against Boston, the Leafs allowed an average of 35 shots per game.
Despite this, the defence corps remains relatively intact. Roman Polak was lost to free agency, but the same top four returns and it’s expected Travis Dermott will claim the fifth spot. Connor Carrick and Justin Holl are among the others competing for a role as the sixth defenceman.
The safety net, of course, is goalie Frederik Andersen, who was the only goalie to face more than 2,000 shots in 2017-18 and still managed to finish in the top 10 in save percentage. Still, he played 66 games, which is a number that would ideally come down to leave him more rested for the playoffs. Braden Holtby led the Capitals to a Stanley Cup after playing 54 regular-season games.
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