The Toronto Maple Leafs season is around the corner, which also means disappointment may be looming.
As sad as that may sound, unjust expectations have followed the Toronto Maple Leafs for years, and the season will only be considered a success if they finally win a Stanley Cup.
After winning a playoff round for the first time in 19 years, that narrative fortunately won’t follow the team this season, but there will still be lofty expectations.
Newly appointed general manager Brad Treliving has put his stamp on this roster, but for the most part, it’s still the same old Leafs. The defensive group is terrible, the starting goalie is the same, and so are the team’s best forwards.
We all expected that a coaching change would happen, but instead, Sheldon Keefe was given a contract extension in a surprising fashion.
Keefe is clearly a good coach, but typically a new GM likes to bring in their own coach, so this Leafs roster still has a lot of Kyle Dubas’ DNA in it.
It’s incredibly hard to win a championship in professional sports, and this Leafs team is talented enough to win, but it still feels like they’re missing a few pieces.
Not only that, but there are some high hopes for a few newly signed players who maybe shouldn’t have such expectations.
As always, there will be plenty of surprises when training camp opens this week, both good and bad, and that’s what makes it so much fun. Here are three Toronto Maple Leafs who could be big disappointments this season.