Preseason has already handed the Toronto Maple Leafs a couple of uncomfortable looks in their split-squad games against Montreal, but that doesn’t have to be the whole story. The Atlantic is a beast, no question. Still, there are reasons to think Toronto has a real path to the postseason, even in what is probably the toughest division in hockey.
The biggest one starts with the obvious: the Maple Leafs know their division record has to get better.
Last season, Toronto went 7-15-4 against Atlantic opponents, and the damage was spread around. Detroit swept them.
Buffalo grabbed seven of eight possible points. It was the kind of division performance that leaves no wiggle room.
Now the problem gets even sharper under the new 84-game schedule, with teams facing all seven division rivals four times each instead of three or four. That only raises the stakes on every Atlantic matchup, but it also gives Toronto a clear area to clean up.
The Leafs also brought in players who arrive with plenty of motivation.
Sergei Bobrovsky and Darren Raddysh both came over from division rivals, and both land in Toronto after leaving teams that were part of the problem for the Maple Leafs last season. Bobrovsky is a Hall of Famer whom Florida players have praised for what he brings on and off the ice.
Raddysh just put together a legitimate top-pairing calibre season for Tampa. Neither one got paid what they were probably worth by their previous clubs, and both now step into Toronto with something to prove against the same teams that let them walk.
That kind of edge can matter.
There’s also the fact that the division itself hasn’t changed all that much, while Toronto has.
Most Atlantic teams are bringing back similar rosters from last season, but the Maple Leafs have turned over basically half their NHL roster and added a brand new head coach. They’re the only team in the division that made that kind of reset.
And the schedule gives them a chance to settle in, too. Outside of two early games against Montreal and Ottawa, Toronto has only one division game in its next 14.
That’s a useful runway before the grind against the Atlantic really starts to bite.
None of this makes the road easy. It’s still the Atlantic, and the bar is brutal.
Last year’s Western Conference finalists wouldn’t have even qualified for the playoffs with their point total in the East. That’s the kind of division Toronto is dealing with.
But with a roster overhaul, new voices, and a chance to repair what failed them a year ago, the Maple Leafs have a legitimate argument for being better than the preseason noise suggests. Soon enough, we’ll find out how much of that turns into wins.
In Other News...
Leafs Already Have An Early Regret Watching Two Ex-Forwards Shine
Nick Robertson is already making an early impression in Pittsburgh, and it comes against the backdrop of a move that felt overdue in Toronto. The former Maple Leafs winger scored his first goal with the Penguins in a preseason game, a reminder that his speed and finish can still pop when he gets the right runway. For a Leafs club that has spent plenty of time trying to sort out its depth and identity on the wing, seeing a familiar name settle in quickly elsewhere is the kind of small development that gets noticed.
Matias Maccelli has done the same with the Islanders after signing a one-year contract, piling up three points in his preseason debut. He, too, is showing the sort of early chemistry and creativity that made him an intriguing fit before his time with Toronto ended. The Leafs are only in the opening stages of a new season, but watching two former forwards start strong in new uniforms is the sort of reminder that roster decisions can linger far beyond training camp. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs May Have Found The Blue Line Balance They Need
The Maple Leafs are still in the stage where the blue line is more puzzle than finished product, but the pieces are starting to make sense. Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev look like the kind of steady, defense-first pairing that can handle tough minutes, while Morgan Rielly alongside Darren Raddysh offers a different sort of balance with more puck movement and support from the back end.
What remains unsettled is the third pair, and that is where Torontos depth chart still feels open to interpretation. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Troy Stecher, Emil Andrae and Nick Blankenburg are all in the mix as the Leafs sort through options, and with time still left before the season, the club can keep weighing fit, role and chemistry before locking in its final look. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Blue Line Battle Just Got More Serious
The Maple Leafs are tightening the screws on their blue line as training camp moves toward opening night, putting defensemen Cole McWard and Dakota Mermis on waivers while they trim the roster ahead of the upcoming NHL season. Mermis saw action in 11 games for Toronto last year, while McWard arrived as a free agent signing this summer, and both had been part of the group fighting for a role in the teams defensive depth.
The move is another sign that the back end is still very much up for grabs, with several players competing for the limited spots available. Toronto still has decisions to make before the lineup is finalized, and these waiver moves suggest the margins are getting thinner by the day for anyone hoping to stick. [Read more 🡒]