In a normal season the Toronto Maple Leafs would be just about at the halfway point of the regular season, with 39 games played, and would be on pace for a franchise best 116 points over 82 games. ( Per NHL.com )
In this irregular season though, the Toroton Maple Leafs have only 17 games remaining on the season and are right in the running to lead the league in points.
In the 1985-86 NHL season the President’s Trophy was first awarded to the team who finished the season with the most points in the entire league. Over this time the trophy has been awarded 33 times to 17 different teams, and not one of those teams has been the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This year the Maple Leafs are in the best position they have ever been this close to the end of the season to claim the President’s Trophy. I believe that the Maple Leafs should be the favourite to finish at the top of the league this year, but of course there are a few teams sitting around the top of the league standings that will have something to say about that. (Note that all stats for this article are current to the start of last night’s games.)
The Toronto Maple Leafs Competition:
Colorado Avalanche – The Avalanche currently sit at the top of the league with 56 points, one ahead of Toronto with one less game played. Colorado is in a division with the lowly California teams ( San Jose, Anaheim, Los Angeles ), and play these three teams in ten of the final 18 games.
In 14 games so far this season Colorado is 10-3-1 against this teams and if this domination continues they will be the biggest challenge to snag the President’s Trophy from the Maple Leafs.
Florida Panthers – The Panthers may be one of the bigger surprises this season in terms of teams to challenge for the top of the league standings. Florida also have 56 points but have played the same amount off games as the Maple Leafs.
The Panthers have feasted on the bottom of their division, going 11-2-1 in their games against the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets. They only have 2 games left against Columbus this season with the rest of their games against teams fighting for a playoff position, including eight of their final 17 games against Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, who are both right behind Florida in the standings.
Tampa Bay Lightning – As I just mentioned, Tampa Bay sits right behind Florida for the top spot in the Central Division. The Lightning have 54 points through 38 games, but have stumbled a bit over the last six games going 2-4 which has allowed the Panthers to overtake them at the top of the division.
Tampa shot out of the gate hot with 18 wins and 38 points after their first 25 games but have gone 8-5 since. 12 of their next 18 games are against teams that are fighting for a playoff spot and only six against the teams they have dominated this season ( vs. Dallas, Detroit and Chicago: 14-3-1 ), and six games against their toughest competition ( vs. Florida and Carolina: 5-4-1 ).
Washington Capitals – The Capitals have been near or at the top of the East Division for the entire season. With Alex Ovechkin heating up, 12 goals in the last 15 games, the Caps have enjoyed a nice 12-3 record over that span. The New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins are close behind Ovie and the Caps, and they play these two teams six more times this season, but I believe the division is Washington’s division to lose.
However with 10 of their final 18 games versus teams currently in a playoff spot and only two against the lowly Sabres, who they have gone 5-0-1 against this season, the Capitals could be looking at a tough stretch to end the season. Washington still is only one point behind the Maple Leafs in the standings and has a game in hand so the Toronto Maple Leafs will need some help from the other East Division teams to keep the Capitals below them.
Carolina Hurricanes – The NHL Central Division is proving to be a very top heavy division, with Carolina, Florida and Tampa Bay all pulling well ahead of their division rivals and sitting near the top of the league standings.
The Hurricanes sit two points behind the Maple Leafs but have two games in hand and their remaining schedule is fairly light. The Hurricanes host the Panthers for their next two games and has a four game road trip later in April that could give them some trouble. However with 12 of their last 18 games versus teams well below them in the standings they could creep into the top spot of the Central Division and challenge for the President’s Trophy.
Toronto Maple Leafs – After their amazing start to the season, the Maple Leafs stumbled a bit in the middle of their schedule having a rough 3-6 stretch to start the month of March. They have steered the Evergreen ship back on track though gaining points in 8 straight games ( 7-0-1 ) and getting healthy at the right time.
The unknown status of Freddy Andersen is a little concerning, but Jack Campbell has been spectacular in relief. Campbell tied a franchise record going 9-0 to start the season and holds a ridiculous 1.53 GAA and .944 save percentage, pacing the league in both categories among goaltenders with at least 6 starts.
If Campbell can continue this stellar play, he may not only take over the starting gig, some may argue he already has, but he ca lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to their first ever President’’s Trophy.