The Toronto Maple Leafs still have plenty of time to believe in their chances of winning the Stanley Cup in 2024-25. After a good start to the season, a few of the team’s leaders will be worth keeping an eye on going forward.
Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews is probably the best sniper in the NHL right now. He is a constant threat, having scored 368 goals in 562 games prior to the 2024-25 campaign. The Leafs’ success must go through him.
William Nylander
William Nylander has scored 40 goals in his last two seasons. The Leafs’ attack relies in part on him, too, and the team can count itself lucky. He’s an NHL superstar, and it shows at the start of this season.
John Tavares
Unless he accepts a drastic pay cut, this will be John Tavares’ last season in Toronto. His contract is coming to an end, but until then, he’s still capable of producing, as evidenced by his start to the season.
Mitch Marner
Without a contract next year, will this be Mitch Marner’s last season in Toronto? The question arises. In the meantime, he remains one of the NHL’s best forwards, and the Leafs benefit enormously from it.
Max Domi
Max Domi is off to an interesting start, with 5 assists in his first 5 games. A frequent flyer with a lot of spirit, he could be a hidden depth card for Toronto’s attack when the intensity of the games increases.
Long contracts on defense
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (photo) is tied to the Leafs for the next 4 seasons, including the current one. The same goes for Morgan Reilly and Christopher Tanev.
A porous D
The team’s three highest-paid defensemen will complete their contracts when they are well into their thirties. They’re a good bunch, but are we betting on the elite? No.
Matthew Knies
We’ve heard a lot of good things about young forward Matthew Knies. It’s still too early to expect him to blossom spectacularly, however.
Max Pacioretty
Max Pacioretty, a Maple Leaf? That’s right! The veteran hasn’t been dressed for all of his team’s games so far, but his shot remains one of the most devastating in the NHL. And as they say, scoring can’t be taught, especially for less than $900,000!
The big guns
Because of the team’s many high earners, depth is not a strength of the Leafs. In Toronto, the attack relies mainly on the four forwards Matthews, Nylander, Tavares and Marner. David Kampf and company don’t thrill any NHL team…
Goalkeepers...
In front of the net, the question remains with Stolarz, Hildeby and Woll. Woll missed the start of the season through injury.
Coach Berube
Will coach Craig Berube be able to steer the ship in his first season? Leafs fans certainly hope so, because sooner or later, the window of opportunity will close. It’s just a question of when! For now, it remains open with a relatively good start to the season.
