Now that the playoffs are about to start, you can bet that the chants of 1967 will reemerge for all of Leafs Nation to hear. This year, however, feels different. Maybe it is the fact that the Leafs won the Atlantic Division - only the third time the Leafs have won their division since the NHL Expansion Era. The team seems to have a tighter bond between each other than seasons past. Maybe it is the new regime in General Manager Brad Treliving and head coach Craig Berube. Both are looking to put their stamp in Maple Leaf lore as this will be their first crack at getting the Leafs beyond the second round and hopefully into the Stanley Cup finals.
Brad Treviling spent a decade in Calgary and got the age-old adage that his leaving was mutual, and maybe it was, but history shows that usually that is a save face move for a franchise with such a long tenured employee. Craig Berube came into the fire in St. Louis and not only succeeded but had the team hoisting their first Stanley Cup championship in the process. Coaches in the NHL all seem to have short leashes, and the fact that the Blues moved in December 2023 after missing the playoffs the previous season. If history is any indication, the fact that in his first year behind the bench, the Leafs are not only winning but have won their division should send good vibes this year heading into the playoffs for Leafs Nation. I know, I know that confidence mixed with Leafs and playoffs do not usually go hand in hand, but you have to admit that this year does have a different feel to it.
Mitch Marner getting 100 points for the first time in his career and quite possibly his last as a Maple Leaf, should have him going into the first round confident of the player he has become in the first round. The fact that Auston Matthews did not have to score at will for this team to be successful and could play his all-around game while being the captain for the first time has led to excellent results. William Nylander seems primed to show up in a big way this year, going up against Ottawa, and the fact that it's the battle of Ontario in the first round of the playoffs will be a tough test for the Leafs, but if they advance, it will prove just how strong this Leafs team is and can be. The playoffs always come down to goaltending and who is hot, and you have to feel confident that the Leafs have a two-headed monster in Woll and Stolarz.
This Leafs team does something that the previous teams did not do so well, especially come playoff time, they play defense. You have to think that by hiring Berube, Brad Treliving was banking on the fact that not only would the head coach have the team playing defense, but the head coach would also toughen them up along the way. The fact that this team can play defense and has goal-scoring talent up and down its lineup means this could be the deepest team the Leafs have put out on the ice in quite some time. Anything can happen in hockey, and teams that should have won, but don't, vice versa, so this will be an edge-of-your-seat adrenaline-riding rollercoaster beginning this Sunday. Recent history has shown that it is not expected to do much in the playoffs against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The good thing about history is that a new story can be told and history can be changed and or this years rendition of your Toronto Maple Leafs I am banking on the fact that they are going to make some noise and maybe, just maybe are hoisting the Cup at seasons end. Oh, how joyous that will be. Go Leafs Go!