Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable: Are the Leafs Contenders?

Alex Hobson

Do I think the Maple Leafs can truly contend for the cup this year? My heart says yes, but my mind says no.

Although, I do think the Leafs are much closer to winning the cup than people realize.

They have their number one centre in Auston Matthews, a number one defenseman in Morgan Rielly, and a number one goaltender in Frederik Andersen. Their forward depth is outstanding and among the best in the league. Not to mention, they’re still loaded with prospects.

However, the only thing I think they’re lacking is experience.

They have some grizzled, “seen it all” vets such as Patrick Marleau and Ron Hainsey (who surprisingly didn’t see playoffs until he became a Penguin), but they have an incredibly young defensive core.

So, while I think their chances are much stronger this year than they were last year, I can’t see them taking down one of the Western powerhouses.

For me, a reasonable finish is something along the lines of a semi-final/conference final run.