Believe it or not, but the Toronto Maple Leafs have a legitimate chance to win the Stanley Cup this year.
Saying that statement gives me chills. As a lifelong Toronto Maple Leafs fan, there have only been a few years where the franchise has had a real chance at lifting the Stanley Cup. Although the roster has been playoff-bound every season since Auston Matthews arrived, they haven’t had a true opportunity to win, until now.
It’s been 20 years since the Leafs had a chance at a Stanley Cup. They haven’t won a playoff round since 2004 and haven’t made it to the Conference Finals since 2002. If you were born after 2000, you have no recollection of the Leafs ever being good.
Instead of wearing the No. 81 and No. 42 like Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak, kids in minor hockey in Toronto wanted to wear No. 87 and No. 8 like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Kids didn’t dream of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, because they gave them nothing to cheer about. It was a sad truth, but that’s changed thanks to Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.
Wearing your blue-and-white jersey is cool again and the new era of Toronto Maple Leafs hockey is going to spark a generation of fans that cheer for their hometown team, instead of a team in the United States.
The Leafs have a real chance at winning the Stanley Cup this year and even though we won’t be allowed to attend any games, it’s about to be an exciting few months in Toronto.
Here are three reasons why the Leafs are going to win the Stanley Cup.
No.1: The road to the Stanley Cup is easier than ever
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a 33-13-5 record and are in first place in the North Division. Lucky for them, they’ll only have to play their own division for the first two rounds of the playoffs, before reaching the Final Four.
Here’s Toronto’s record against the three Canadian teams they’ll most likely face in the playoffs:
- Edmonton Oilers: 6-1-2
- Montreal Canadiens: 5-2
- Winnipeg Jets: 6-3
It’s not like Toronto is only dominating the bottom-half of their division. Instead, they’re beating up on every single team and showcasing why they’re the favorite to come out of Canada and reach the Final Four.
Once Toronto gets through the Canadian Division and reaches the Final Four, it’s obviously going to be tough, but at that point, they’ll only be eight wins away from the cup. There’s no reason to believe that can’t win against any other team in the league at that point.
Tampa Bay is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup this year, but they aren’t as likely to come out of their division, as Toronto is. Since there’s much more balance in the other division, those series should each go six or seven games, compared to Toronto’s that could end in a sweep, or five games.
As such, Toronto should be more rested once the Final Four starts and that should give them an advantage to make the Stanley Cup Finals.
No. 2: Coaching
Everywhere that Sheldon Keefe goes, he wins. It’s just a fact.
At 40-years-old, Keefe is still a young coach, but he’s been in the game his entire life. After a short stint of 125 games in the NHL, he turned his eye to coaching and hasn’t looked back.
If you go back to his CJHL days, where the winning started with the Pembroke Lumber Kings championship in the 2006-07 season, Keefe has a 398-156-2-52 record as a head coach. That represents a .654 winning percentage.
He made it to the Conference Finals with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL, won the Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies and is on his way to being just as successful at the NHL level. You obviously need a talented team to be successful, but you can’t be that good for so long, in so many different situations, without being an exceptional coach.
Although you could say this is the best overall team Toronto has had in years, Keefe is the one who has to keep the room in check, juggle the lines and create a successful system. Whatever he’s saying in the room is clearly working on and off the ice, because the team seems to be having more fun than every before.
Keefe is on a very similar path as Jon Cooper was with Tampa. Prior to joining the Lightning, Cooper won everywhere he went, including a Calder Cup trophy, and continued that in the NHL. He’s never had a below .500 record and that doesn’t look to be happening anytime soon.
Hopefully, Keefe can continue in Coopers’ footsteps and win a Stanley Cup, just like how Tampa Bay did last year.
No. 3: Veteran Presence
Every team that wins a Stanley Cup needs to have someone or something to play for, other than the cup itself.
Similar to how the Colorado Avalanche won the cup for Ray Bourque, the Toronto Maple Leafs want to do the same for Joe Thornton and Jason Spezza. Both of those veterans chose Toronto, because they thought it was the best place for them to win, and every player in the room is going to do everything they can to make that dream come true.
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are going to have another 15 cracks at Stanley Cup, but that’s not true for their idols, Spezza and Thornton. They only have one or two more years left in the NHL and the young guys in the room clearly look up to them and want to win for them.
Not only are Thornton and Spezza two veterans without a ring, but Wayne Simmonds and John Tavares have been in the NHL for a decade-plus without winning. Both of them also signed in Toronto to chase a championship, so you know they’re going to find an extra gear when the playoffs start.
Just because you have those veterans on the team, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to win, but any added incentive is huge in the room. The added motivation by the veterans could be the difference in the playoffs that helps Toronto get over the hump for the first time in 54 years.