The rivalry between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs has been decidedly one-way for years now.
But is it time for the Toronto Maple Leafs to acknowledge that there is finally another NHL team in the province of Ontario?
For years we've been hearing about how the Senators are on the verge of overtaking the Leafs, and as Leafs fans it's been cute, but also literally the only thing we've been able to be superior about. But is it finaly time?
Are the Senators good enough to stop ignoring and laughing at?
Is it time for the Toronto Maple Leafs to acknowledge Battle of Ontario?
I hate the Boston Bruins, but I have no strong feelings about the Ottawa Senators. When I do remember they exist, it's usually to laugh about the fact that everything in their city is closed by 8:30 PM.
The Toronto Maple Leafs currently hold the NHL's longest active streak for making the playoffs at eight years. The Senators have missed the playoffs seven years in a row, and more importantly, we've been seeing pre-season predictions of them passing the Leafs for nearly all of those years.
But this year, they might be legit.
The Senators - with Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Josh Norris, Drake Batherson, and Claude Giroux, their forwards look good. Not anywhere close to the Leafs level, but good nevertheless.
With a blue-line built around Jake Sanderson, the Senators probably have a better blue-line than the Leafs do. At the very least the Leafs don't have a player as good as Sanderson will be eventually.
In net, the Senators have added recent Vezina winner Linus Ulmark and are vastly superior to the Toronto Maple Leafs at that position. However, goalies are wonky and unpredictable and there is an equal chance the Leafs will get better goaltending from Joseph Woll. It's a likely advantage for Ottawa, but goalies in the NHL are too unpredictable.
The most stable thing about either team is the play of Matthews and Marner, and that isn't going to change. The Leafs are still superior and were 24 points better last year.
The Senators can make that up this year if they get lucky and the Leafs also stumble. But, realistically, the most likely scenario is that the Leafs are still 12 or so points better.
That's something. The Senators will fight for and maybe even make the playoffs. The Leafs are playoff locks and Cup Contenders. The only thing we do know: the rivalry is back on and the Leafs will be forced to admit there is, in fact, another NHL team in the same province as them.