The Toronto Maple Leafs could have their best chance to redeem the franchise’s nearly six-decade streak of futility in 2025-26.
The Leafs head into the season with arguably their best chance at winning a Stanley Cup in quite some time. Yes, the club lost Mitch Marner this offseason. But the loss of his regular-season production won’t matter much, particularly when looking at his failure to deliver in the postseason.
That situation leaves Auston Matthews to lead a strong supporting cast into the team’s most anticipated adventure. The regular season grind will only serve to place Toronto in a playoff spot.
Ultimately, no one will truly care what that spot is. All Leafs Nation really cares about is the Leafs punching their ticket to the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. From there, the onus will be on the Leafs to make it past the second round.
This time around, however, anything short of a Stanley Cup Final appearance will do little to quell the thirst of Leafs fans. There are generations of Leafs faithful who haven’t seen their beloved team hoist the Cup.
I’m one of them. When I was born, the memories of that last championship from 1967 were still relatively fresh. I grew up with those awful Leafs teams of the 1980s. The 1993 playoffs were especially painful because of the desire for a championship.
Fast forward 30 years, and the Leafs could replicate that magical 1993 run. The Leafs have the skill and experience to do it. All they need is fortitude and a couple of lucky bounces here and there to redeem nearly 60 years of failure.
Maple Leafs face clear path to Stanley Cup championship
The Maple Leafs face a clear path to the Stanley Cup. That’s not wishful thinking. It’s a reality. All the Leafs have to do is get into the playoffs. Once there, all they need is to take on one team at a time.
That simplistic view sums up the philosophy embraced by clubs like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers.
These clubs are not about winning the Presidents’ Trophy. Their goal is to use the regular season to fine-tune their club as they head into the postseason. After all, that’s what truly matters.
How many times have we seen Presidents’ Trophy-winning teams fail in the postseason? The regular season champion is ultimately meaningless in the NHL. In contrast, a team that barely squeaks into the playoffs can go on a run and take home the championship.
As paradoxical as that sounds, that’s the reality of the NHL. Unlike other sports, regular-season struggles and blunders don’t mean as much come playoff time. As long as a team is hot at the right time, anything can happen.
So, Leafs Nation shouldn’t obsess if the Leafs don’t have a stellar regular season. The only thing that truly matters is the playoffs. A Stanley Cup will wash away whatever regular-season shortcomings the Leafs may have.