Toronto Maple Leafs: Power Ranking the Top 6 Stanley Cup Contenders

The Toronto Maple Leafs are set to begin the new NHL season in an All Canadian Division.

Coming off a disappointing, but hopeful season, the Toronto Maple Leafs will be looking to transfer their potential energy into something they can sell off to the grid.  The Leafs –  if they had just gotten a little less unlucky against the Blue Jackets’ goalies – would be entering the new NHL season as the odds-on favorite to win the Stanley Cup. Hell, if they’d got by Columbus, we might be talking about their odds to repeat as Champs – who knows?

They’ve got the best paper roster in the NHL, but their reputation is damaged by four straight first-round (or Covid Equivalent) losses,  that nobody but their most hardcore fans is interested in viewing with any context. (Which actually makes them come off looking pretty good, so its easy to ignore).

If we recall that the Leafs were dominant when they switched coaches, and only struggled afterwards when their two best defensemen went out long-term, we can see them in a positive light.  We can also note that they were competing for the President’s Trophy in games not started by Michael Hutchinson, or that under Keefe they finished 8th overall even though they got about the 24th best 5v5 goaltending in the league.

So how do the Leafs rank against the NHL’s other contenders?