The deadline to become cap-compliant prior to the opening of the 2024-25 season passed at 5pm on October 7th. While many were speculating trades to occur, which still may happen in the near future, the Toronto Maple Leafs opted to use IR and LTIR space to finalize their roster.
Connor Dewar, Jani Hakenpaa, Calle Jarnkrok, and Dakota Mermis all sidelined with ailments, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now $1.00 below the $88M salary cap ceiling to begin the year.
Despite the obvious need for another centre to bolster the middle-six forward group, this Toronto Maple Leafs team looks good on paper, and seems ready to battle for Atlantic Divison Title.
Here are my four reasons to be optimistic about the Leafs this year.
Why This is the Year for the Toronto Maple Leafs : 4 Reasons for Optimism
Goaltending
Ilya Samsonov was terrible to begin the season last year. Over his 19 starts between October 11 and Jan 31, Sammy put up an .878 save percentage with a 3.36 goals against average.
Conversely, Joseph Woll last year put up a .907 sv % and a 2.94 GAA over his 25 appearances, while Anthony Stolarz put up a .925 sv % and a 2.03 GAA over his 27 appearances for Florida (best in the NHL in both categories for goalies with a minimum of 25 games played).
This change in goaltending alone should win the Leafs more games than last year.