After weathering the injury storm, are the Maple Leafs a serious Stanley Cup contender?
While many are skeptical about the Toronto Maple Leafs being a viable threat to win it all, their recent play is catching people’s attention.
Early in the 2024-25 season, the Leafs were hurt with a massive injury bug. From losing goaltender Joseph Woll for the opening weeks of the season, to playing nine games without captain Auston Matthews, Toronto had plenty of opportunities to make excuses for any shortcomings.
Yet, the team has persevered and is battling for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with the Florida Panthers. As of Monday, the Leafs are just one point back of the defending Stanley Cup champions for first place with two games in hand. Players like Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and others have stepped up with a rotating cast in the lineup, but the question remains…are the Maple Leafs contenders to win the Stanley Cup?
That question was addressed on Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, as Colby Cohen and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss how good Toronto truly is.
Colby Cohen: Based on what we’ve seen in the regular season. I like the emergence of Fraser Minten, I think that’s a nice add. I think Auston Matthews doesn’t get enough credit for his defensive play and what he’s able to do in all three zones. Look, you can’t deny the way Mitch Marner and John Tavares have played. Right now, you’re just getting this 1-2 punch with those two groups.
At the end of the day, you’re asking me if they’re a contender. Yes, but to me, they’re still No. 5…The reason for that, I’ve got too much data and I’ve seen too many playoff series where [Marner] is invisible, [Matthews] struggling to find his game and they’re goaltending issues. This year, they have a 1A-1A punch…[Anthony] Stolarz has carried the mail and Woll has dealt with his injuries and came back, and he’s starting to play well. I think this is the steadiest they’ve been in goal. I also love Craig Berube in the way he holds these guys accountable.
You can watch the full segment and entire episode here…