What to Expect from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019-20

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a very successful summer.

The Toronto Maple Leafs ended the season with bitter disappointment when they lost to the Bruins (again) in game seven of the first round.

It wasn’t just the loss that stung, or the fact that it was against the Bruins (again) or the fact that it was a very winnable series in which the Leafs were the better team.  It wasn’t just the fact that the team earned and deserved a victory, but didn’t get it.

The bitter disappointment came from the fact that the Leafs had failed to advance during the final years of the Matthews/Marner entry-level contracts.  The salary cap was hanging over the team like a shroud, and it appeared that they be taking a step backwards.

But Kyle Dubas had other ideas.

In the end, all it cost was a first round pick (who cares?) and a player who single-handedly cost the Leafs two first round victories with his stupidity.

So what should fans expect in 2019-20?  I was invited to appear on the Ari Shapiro podcast to discuss this very topic, but unfortunately I was not able to connect with him in time to meet his deadline.  Nevertheless, it was a topic I wanted to discuss, so I thought I’d take what I was going to tell Ari and write it down.

Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019-20

Leafs fans should be expecting the following:

– The most fun team in the NHL to watch

– An Atlantic Division Title

– A President’s Trophy

– A Heart Trophy (Matthews)

– A Stanley Cup Final Appearance

–  A Stanley Cup

In short – Leafs fans should be expecting the best team in franchise history.

Now, this stuff isn’t guaranteed or even likely to happen – even the bets laid plans go astray, and the NHL is a salary cap league beset by parity where random chance plays as big a role as talent and determination do.  So anything is possible.

But this is about hope.  It’s about realistic expectations.

The Leafs are the deepest team in the NHL at centre: Matthews-Tavares-Kerfoot-Spezza-Shore-Gauthier.

They’ve got one of the best goalies there is.

They have the should-be reining Norris Trophy Winner (Rielly) to go along with the best play-driving defenseman of the last eight years (Muzzin) and a 59 point Tyson Barrie.  Travis Dermott appears ready to breakout and (if luck will have it) maybe Jake Gardiner comes back.

Regardless, the loss of Nikita Zaitsev and Ron Hainsey will see the team’s blueline take an exponential and galactic step forward.

It’s one of the best blue-lines in the NHL.  If one of the rookies claims a job, if Gardiner comes back or if Dermott improves it could easily be the best group of defensemen in hockey.  (And Tyson Barrie for about a million less than they were paying Ron Hainsey will be the best contract in hockey).

What else?  Oh yeah, how could I forget? No one in the NHL can match the Leafs top four forwards – Matthews, Tavares, Marner, Nylander.

And who else can boast Johnsson, Kapanen and Kerfoot as their 5,6 and 7th best forwards?

This team also has no bad contracts, two extremely good defensive prospects, and another three months to improve it even more.

The Toronto Maple Leafs might not win it all next year, but their fans should expect them to.  They’ve got the best roster, the deepest roster, more elite players than any team, and the best part:  most of their best players are still improving and have not peaked.

If they aren’t the odds-on Cup Favorite entering the season, then it’s because people overrate past success.  The fact is no one has a better roster, no one has a better salary cap picture, and no one else has Auston Matthews.

It is not impossible that the Leafs become the best team of the salary cap era.  They should tear the NHL apart next season.

I can’t wait.