The Toronto Maple Leafs may just be one key piece away from a Stanley Cup.
Last night, their division rival Florida Panthers won their second championship in as many seasons, just weeks after taking down the Leafs in a 7-game series.
The Panthers, now on the verge of a dynasty, have faced little adversity in each of their runs to the finals, and few teams have given them much of a challenge over the last three playoffs.
But the Toronto Maple Leafs, of all teams, were one of the few to give Florida much of a challenge, and may be close to a championship of their own in the near future.
As mentioned before, the Leafs are one of just a handful of teams to give the Panthers any sort of challenge in the playoffs over the last three seasons.
In 2023, following their historic 3-1 series comeback over the Boston Bruins, the Panthers only lost one game en route to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost in five games to the Vegas Golden Knights.
In 2024, the Panthers lost just five games before taking a 3-0 series lead in the finals, where their opponent, the Edmonton Oilers, battled back to force a game 7. Florida held on to win the series 4-3, only facing any real adversity in that final series vs the Oilers.
Enter this year, 2025, where the outside of round two, the Panthers mopped the floor with every single one of their opponents with much ease, losing a combined five games and winning back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Even in the finals, while they did drop two games to their opponent, the Oilers once again, the Panthers outscored them 21-8 in their four victories.
Their second round opponent this year, none other than the Toronto Maple Leafs, who were not only the only team to push the Panthers to a seventh game in the 2025 playoffs, but also the only team to win twice in a row against them.
The Leafs found themselves up 2-0 in the series and up 3-1 in game three before falling in overtime, and then dropping three of the next four, eventually losing the series in seven games.
The buds were a goal away from being up 3-0, and even a better effort in game 4 (where they lost 2-0 on the back of a legendary performance from Joseph Woll) puts them up 3-1.
In the past, the Leafs have managed to push (and even beat) legacy-level teams to the brink, such as the Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning, but no team gave Florida a run like the Leafs did, and that gives me hope for next season.
The Panthers will likely run back similarly good team next season, with the potential loss of key players Brad Marchand and Aaron Ekblad, but who says the Leafs won't be better next year?
Losing Mitch Marner won't make things easier, but if the Leafs can make it work without #16, a trip to the finals could very well be in their grasp.
The Leafs gave Florida their toughest competition this year with an injured Auston Matthews, their starting goalie hurt, and very minimal depth scoring.
Just a few tweaks to the roster and a couple bounces their way could be all it takes to finally get over the hump.