History Reveals Good News For the Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup Aspirations
The Toronto Maple Leafs recent playoff history is underwhelming.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made the postseason for eight consecutive years during the Auston Matthews era but advanced to the second round only once.
A talented core of players has yet to find the formula for success beyond the regular season and patience is running thin within the team's fan base. Cries for significant change have increased.
Top-level talent, however, is needed to win titles. Trading it away comes with risk. Finding, keeping, and building around stars is the key to winning.
The Maple Leafs have a forward core comparable to Cup-winning teams. Their defense and goaltending have questions, but there is hope.
Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards Compare Favorably to Cup Winners
The Leafs trio of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Mitch Marner compare favorably to recent championship teams. Matthews is the NHL's best goal scorer. Nylander is a proven forty-goal scorer whose play continues to ascend. Marner is a 100-point winger (or at least, he's scored at a 100 points pace for 4 x seasons in a row without ever actually hitting the milestone) that plays in all situations.
The Florida Panthers have Matthew Tkachuk, Alexander Barkov, and Sam Reinhart. The Tampa Lightning have Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Jake Guentzel replacing the departed Steven Stamkos. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen have been long-time stars of the Colorado Avalanche.
Going back further, the Pittsburgh Penguins won Cups with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Jonathon Toews and Patrick Kane did the same with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Vegas Golden Knights won with Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault up front.
The Maple Leafs talent at forward is on par with those teams but has yet to put it together at the same time during the playoffs. Frustrating results aside, the team's strength up front should be kept together. Championship teams of the past all had multiple stars to share the load.