In the 2022-23 NHL season, the Toronto Maple Leafs finally made it past the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2004. The 2023-24 Maple Leafs are loaded with talent and are ready to compete among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. This team has the potential to unload scary offense. They have solid goaltending, and their defense has more depth than last year.
The Leafs lost a few significant players in the offseason, including Michael Bunting, Alexander Kerfoot, and Noel Acciari. Notable transactions in the offseason include Auston Matthews signing a four-year extension effective in 2024-25, Ilya Samsonov re-signing for one year, and Max Domi, John Klingberg, and Tyler Bertuzzi signing as free agents all for one year.
What will the 2023-24 season bring? Here are three bold predictions for the 2023-24 Maple Leafs.
3. The Maple Leafs will win the Atlantic Division
The Maple Leafs are a contender for the Atlantic Division title and the Stanley Cup. In the past decade since the Maple Leafs have been a part of the Atlantic Division, the only time they won their division was in the 2020-21 season. That year, the team was actually part of the North Division during the COVID-shortened season. In 2022-23, they were second in their division. 2023-24 can be the year the Maple Leafs win the Atlantic Division.
The Maple Leafs are stacked with talent. The Hockey News ranked them as having the best top-six forward group in the NHL. Their top six include Tyler Bertuzzi (LW), Auston Matthews (C), Mitch Marner (RW), Matthew Knies (LW), John Tavares (C), and William Nylander (RW). Last season, Matthews and Nylander scored 40 goals, Tavares scored 36 goals, and Marner put up 99 points. The Leafs signed John Klingberg during the offseason to strengthen their defense. Ilya Samsonov looks to follow up a 27-win season between the pipes, and Joseph Woll factors in as the No. 2 goalie this season.
What competition does Toronto face in their division? The Boston Bruins had a phenomenal regular season last year. There was simply no catching them on their ridiculous, historical campaign to win 65 regular season games. Their first-round loss to the Florida Panthers in the playoffs was shocking and disappointing. They lost a lot of crucial players over the summer, including captain Patrice Bergeron. This won't be the same team as last year.
The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning are the other teams in the mix for the Atlantic Division title. The wild card Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup Final last year in an incredible playoff run where they knocked out the mighty Bruins. The Lightning lost their first-round match-up last season, but they've been to the Stanley Cup Final three times in the last four years, winning back-to-back Cup titles in 2020 and 2021. Despite their competition, the Maple Leafs can win their division this season. It's their time to shine.
2. The Maple Leafs will make it past the first round of the playoffs
Whether or not the Maple Leafs win their division, they're a team considered in contention for the Stanley Cup in 2023-24. The Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967. Last season, they made it to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The next prediction on this list is that the Maple Leafs will make it past the first round of the playoffs again. What makes this prediction bold is that the Maple Leafs have only made it past the first round of the playoffs once in nearly twenty years.
From 2006 to 2016, the Maple Leafs only made the playoffs once, losing the first round in 2013. From 2017 to 2022, the Maple Leafs were stuck in a first-round curse. Six seasons in a row, they qualified for the playoffs and were swiftly eliminated in the first round. Last season, they broke the curse when they knocked out the Tampa Bay Lightning in round one and advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. They were then eliminated in that round by the Florida Panthers.
What competition do they face in the Eastern Conference on the road to a Stanley Cup Final? Outside of the Atlantic Division, there are multiple teams in the Metropolitan Division that are threats and serious Cup contenders. The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils are the biggest threats in the Metro, with the New York Rangers also in the mix. In the Western Conference, the strongest teams are the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars.
The Maple Leafs have the players needed to make a Stanley Cup playoff run. They expect big years from Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, and Ilya Samsonov. Rookie Matthew Knies should be in the conversation for the Calder Trophy. Even though they broke that first-round curse last year, they only won one game against the Panthers in the Conference Semifinals. For a team of their caliber, expectations are higher for the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Will the Maple Leafs deliver?
1. Auston Matthews will score 60 goals
For most players, Auston Matthews' 40-goal season in 2022-23 would be a phenomenal year. Considering Matthews put up 60 goals in 2021-22, though, it's clear he's capable of more. Matthews won the Hart trophy for his incredible 2021-22 campaign where he notched 106 points. Matthews has scored 60 goals in a season before, and he can do it again. 60 goals is no easy feat, but this elite, dynamic center is capable of it.
Matthews is speedy and has a lethal shot. In seven seasons in the NHL, Matthews has scored 40+ goals five times, including the season he hit 60. He even scored 40 goals as a rookie back in 2016-2017 when he took home the Calder Trophy, earning 164 out of 167 votes. He's only reached 100 points in a season once, but he can hit that number again by scoring 60 goals and putting up 40 assists.
Fresh off of signing a four-year extension with the Leafs, Matthews will set out to prove he's worth the $13.25 million cap hit that will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL when it takes effect in 2024-25. This keeps Matthews in Toronto through 2027-28. The NHL Network recently ranked Matthews at #7 on their list of the Top 50 players in the NHL.
At 26-years-old, Matthews is now in his prime. This is the time for him to put up crazy offensive numbers. He's also contributing more defense than in the past, improving his two-way game. Last year, he blocked 92 shots and made 78 hits. Matthews can help propel the Leafs to the top of their division and make a push for the Stanley Cup.