Are the Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup contenders?

[General Fanager]

Yes they are

If they get a new coach, get a goalie, get 2nd and 3rd pairing defensemen that are actually NHL level. a 3C....

fix those things and they are a contender.

 

[Enga Olly]

Yes they are

If they get a new coach, get a goalie, get 2nd and 3rd pairing defensemen that are actually NHL level. a 3C....

fix those things and they are a contender.

and if they get none of those things, they still have a chance at winning the SC, your trash on the other hand is 5 years away from crawling into the PO

 

[Sentinel]

In April, there will be 16 contenders. If the Leafs make playoffs, they will be contenders, yes.

 

[klingsor]

I don’t see why they’re not contenders.

 

[Commander Clueless]

They of course have a ton of talent and It's of course possible for the team to get hot at the right time, but as it stands, this year's team is significantly worse than last year's.

So no, not really.


They are in it, and they shouldn't be counted out....but like if we're being honest it would take a miracle this year.

 

[Ted Hoffman]

Vegas, Washington, St Louis and Colorado would all apply here....

All of those teams had a legit #1 defenseman when they won the Cup. Right now?

Vegas - still pretty loaded, they just need goaltending to not suck.
Colorado - no, I wouldn't trust Georgiev in the playoffs, but if he can just get to being average and the Avs can look interested in playing that could do a lot.
Washington - Carlson is still a 1D, though time is starting to tick on that. When 33 games into the season the leading scorer on the team has 20 points, who the goalie is ranks way down on the list of concerns.
St. Louis - Binnington could still do the job, but there's clearly no 1D and the forwards are arguably missing a 2nd line or a 3rd line. [Or, parts of both.]

 

[General Fanager]

and if they get none of those things, they still have a chance at winning the SC, your trash on the other hand is 5 years away from crawling into the PO

get upset all you like but im not wrong. They are a top heavy team that has trouble in the back end. When scoring goes down in the playoffs like it aways does they will be in trouble like every year.

 

[wetcoast]

Maybe.

Along with probably 10+ other teams.

Also, need more Maple Leaf main board threads.

This and it really depends on goaltending and health but that back end is definitely a weak spot can they shore it up?

They may miss the playoffs still. The Atlantic is savage.

I doubt it they have games in hand on TB who is chasing and Washington is slipping.

I mean if Woll doesn't come back in the same form but they have enough firepower to make it to the playoffs right?

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Nope, they missed their window… time to rebuild

 

[Raistlin]

They have a lot of issues, it's not just one bad goalie. They cannot win in regulation, their defense is suspect, and it's not like they had any success in the post season before. That window is shutting.

 

[ffh]

They’re on pace for just under 102 points.
That’s normally a wild card team not a contender.

Wild card is mid 90"s in case you where wondering.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Wild card is mid 90"s in case you where wondering.

It depends. The Kraken were a wild card team with 100 points last year.

 

[GordonGraham]

Not a top 3 favorite but in the hunt for sure

 

[Kimota]

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

They’ve lacked a goalie to carry them to a final like literally every other team in The Atlantic has had. That’s for sure

But Matthews is pacing for 70 goals, LFG!!!

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Not with that defense or goaltending

 

[shaner8989]

Not with Samsonov or Jones in net. With Woll they were amazing. Goaltending is everything

 

[Nevins]

They have one single nhl dman, so no

Outch ….brutal

 

[ViD]

Not with Samsonov or Jones in net. With Woll they were amazing. Goaltending is everything

Yeah, no. Goaltending is mostly the result of the team defensive system and quality of the defensemen

 

[PaulD]

But Matthews is pacing for 70 goals, LFG!!!

The Rocket Cup

 

[Three On Zero]

They are a character team

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Since their 4 game win streak in mid November, they're 7-4-5.

Haven't won more than 3 games since then, losses to some bottom feeders and good teams alike.

Have a lot of road games in January, how far out is Woll? Even when he comes back, he needs time to shake rust so this next month could open the door for another team to chase a top 3 spot in Atlantic.

 

[shaner8989]

Yeah, no. Goaltending is mostly the result of the team defensive system and quality of the defensemen

Funny then that one goalie has the worst numbers in the NHL while the other has one of the better numbers in the NH. It’s all goaltending. Period

The D only plays bad when Samsonov starts? And the D are the best when Woll plays? Your Logic is garbage.

 

[eramosat]

They of course have a ton of talent and It's of course possible for the team to get hot at the right time, but as it stands, this year's team is significantly worse than last year's.

So no, not really.


They are in it, and they shouldn't be counted out....but like if we're being honest it would take a miracle this year.

every SC winner is a miracle, in some way or another. so yeah, if the Leafs make the playoffs, their chances are pretty much equal with every one of the other playoff teams.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

every SC winner is a miracle, in some way or another. so yeah, if the Leafs make the playoffs, their chances are pretty much equal with every one of the other playoff teams.

Ah no. That’s not how it works.