5 shocking predictions for the Toronto Maple Leafs 2024-25 NHL season
How will the Maple Leafs turn out for this upcoming season?
The Toronto Maple Leafs had made many moves during the past offseason to help prepare themselves for the upcoming 2024-25 NHL season.
The moves ranging from coaching changes to player changes at the forward, defense and goalie positions all took place in a span of a few months for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
With the top of their roste, at least, all set as training camp is set to open soon, it makes one wonder how will the team perform in the coming months?
In that regard, let’s take a look at five bold predictions for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they prepare to begin their 2024-25 season in search of Lord Stanley’s Mug.
5 shocking predictions for the Toronto Maple Leafs 2024-25 NHL season
Morgan Rielly will surpass 80 points for the first time in his career
Morgan Rielly has always shown the potential to become an elite defenseman in the league. But very often, it just felt he was held back at times based on the defensive pairing he was dealt with. He was at his best when he was once paired with the veteran Ron Hainsey, as he ended up posting career bests in goals with 20 and points with 72 during the 2018-19 season. From that experience, it appeared as though Rielly was most prolific when paired with a quality stay-at-home defensive partner.
With the Maple Leafs signing perhaps one of the best defensive defenseman in the league in Chris Tanev this offseason, they may have inadvertently killed two birds with one stone. For one, Tanev will no doubt provide tough quality minutes against the opposing teams’ top lines game in and game out. Secondly, if the Leafs end up pairing him up with Rielly, which is already highly expected, it could unleash a never-seen-before Rielly for the 2024-24 season.
If Rielly had so much success during his time with Hainsey as his partner, then with Tanev being younger and that much better than Hainsey in his prime, Rielly should be virtually unstoppable with Tanev now. Therefore, look for Rielly to surpass the 80-point threshold this upcoming season and with any luck, may even hit 90 if everything falls into place.
Anthony Stolarz will take over as the Leafs No. 1 goalie
When the Maple Leafs signed goaltender Anthony Stolarz to a two-year, $5 million contract this offseason, many expected him to serve as a 1A and 1B tandem option with Joseph Woll in the Leafs net. Some probably even considered Stolarz as the backup, given Woll’s seniority in having been with the Leafs already in parts of the past three seasons.
But while playing away from most of the spotlight, Stolarz has quietly proven in the past to be a high-quality NHL goalie. In fact, he is arguably one of the top backups in the league nowadays. In 108 career games, he has posted a 43-31-9 record with a solid 2.68 GAA and .915 save percentage.
More importantly, he has been extremely durable, having suffered just one physical ailment in the past six seasons. Just for good measure, he has been through it all in winning at the highest level, having played for the Stanley Cup Champions Florida Panthers last season.
On the other hand, despite the elite play we have seen in Woll, it is hard to forget that he has only 36 games of NHL experience under his belt. Not only that, he has also had trouble staying healthy this past season, with his second injury coming at the worst possible time in the playoffs that ultimately ended the Leafs season.
Now signed to a bigger contract, the question will be will Woll be able to handle the pressure and spotlight that comes with it? As a result, as Stolarz and Woll go head-to-head in the battle for the crease, look for Stolarz to prevail with his more extensive experience and durability and ultimately take over the goaltending duties full-time for the Maple Leafs.
Auston Matthews will score 80 goals
When it comes to Auston Matthews, is there really anything he couldn’t do?
An elite star player both in the offensive and defensive end, Matthews once again put together a strong 2023-24 season by leading the entire league in goals with 69 while finishing once again above the 100-point threshold with 107 points. His 69 goals was the most by any player in one season since Alexander Ovechkin potted 65 back in the 2007-08 NHL season.
With the way Matthews has been improving even more year after year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him one day score almost at a goal a game pace and surpass the 80-goal mark in one season.
Well, that achievement will be happening this upcoming year. Why is that? Just last season, Matthews posted 18 multi-goal games, including six hat tricks, so he certainly has no problems with scoring in bunches.
On top of that, aside from getting a huge confidence boost by becoming the team captain for 2024-25, it could also potentially the last season of both Mitch Marner and John Tavares as a Maple Leaf.
As a result, there’s no doubt Matthews wants to get it done in what perhaps could be the last hurrah for the so-called “core four”. In doing so, look for Matthews to go beast mode on the ice and score at will to topple 80 goals this season, which will rank him fourth all-time just behind Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull and Mario Lemieux.
The Maple Leafs will finish 8th in the Eastern Conference to sneak into the playoffs
This truly is a "shocking" prediction since the Toronto Maple Leafs might have the highest floor of any team in hockey and are almost certainly a playoff lock. That doesn't mean that disaster can't befall them, however, and I'm predicting it will.
With the Maple Leafs hire of head coach Craig Berube, it also came with a corresponding change to almost the entire Leafs coaching staff. In doing so, what comes with it will be a significant adjustment period for the Leaf players. That is because with new faces always come new rules, objective and systems to adhere to. After having Sheldon Keefe constantly at the helm for the past five seasons, there’s no doubt some habits would have been developed under his system by some of the current Leafs players.
Now with the new head honcho in Berube, the Leafs will be forced to break some of those habits in search of making the team better for now and the future. As much as they could quickly adapt their game under the new system during the preseason, the ultimate effect likely won’t come into play until the regular season starts. As a result, look for the Maple Leafs to stumble coming out of the gate as they work to adjust to Berube’s new system.
Add to that the fact that Tanev is old, the goaltending is inexperienced and the blue-line is incredibly average, and you have a recipe for disaster. Assuming Marner doesn't sign and the team has to deal with that distraction on top of everything else, and this season could get rough for the Leafs.
On top of that, many other teams in the conference also made key additions over the offseason to make them that much stronger and tougher. So the Leafs will have to desperately make back up the ground that they will lose at the beginning of the season. As they finally come together effectively and play catch up for the rest of the season, the Leafs will barely eek out a playoff spot by finishing in eighth place in the Eastern Conference by the end of the season.
The Maple Leafs will win the Stanley Cup and Mitch Marner wins the Conn Smythe
In order for the Leafs to sneak into the Stanley Cup Playoffs as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, it will require them to play many do-or-die games towards the end of the season.
By playing every game practically like a Game Seven playoff game down the stretch, they will develop the proper winning mindset, character and determination heading into the rigors of the playoffs.
In doing so, both the stars and role players on the Leafs team drastically step up their games at the right time. While playing to Berube’s infallible system perfectly, they end up cruising through round after round in the playoffs like never before.
More importantly, after all these years, Marner finally comes up big in the games that matter most. He does so by becoming a part of the Leafs newly formed super line for the playoffs with Matthews and William Nylander. (All stats from NHL.com and salaries from puckpedia.com)
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As a result, Marner captures the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs while breaking Doug Gilmour’s club record of 35 points in a single playoff season in the process. As for the Leafs, the mercifully end their futility record of 58 consecutive seasons without a Stanley Cup win by finally taking home the championship title once and for all.