Are the 2017/2018 Leafs legitimate contenders for the Cup?

[Peiskos]

Just take a look at the other current teams in playoff positions in the east..Bruins, Blue Jackets, Flyers, Devils, Penguins, Capitals and Lightning.

I feel the Leafs have good chances against all of those teams quite frankly, and only 3 of those teams have more points and a better goal differential than the Leafs. (Lighting, Capitals, Bruins)

We're sitting 4th in the east and 8th in the league. We're a really good team and as weird and that sounds coming out of everyones mouths its true. Its unlikely but this team can go to the conference finals if things go their way. My expectations for this season were 2nd round, I think most would agree that 2nd round is a realistic expectation.

 

[lifelonghockeyfan]

I believe there are 3 reasons why we are absolutely NOT currently at contender status. They are as follows.

1) We need a two way/defensive RHD who can log big minutes against another playoff teams best. Without this, we cannot expect to go further than round two.

2) A legit #3 center who can play playoff style hockey ie win faceoffs, be defensively responsible and pot the odd dirty goal.

3) Our core players simply do not have the experience needed to win. I cannot stress this enough! Some young players can and have. I do not believe ours can, YET. The sophomore slump seems to be hitting Marner/Nylander hard. Matthews appears tired/lethargic, as he did last season, as the season nears its end. Maybe our younger players need a better workout/diet plan? Maybe they just need a few more years to get that "man" strength. I don't know, but at present, they seem unprepared for a long playoff haul.

Dont get me wrong, I love our core and I believe they will break the curse eventually. Just won't be this year.

Agree with that Leafs aren't ready. Hainsey played the most minutes of any Pens Dman in last years playoffs, so I think that fascination about the Leafs needing this minutes eating Dman is not valid. Zaitsev and Hainsey can be minutes eaters. You # 3 is the most accurate . True contenders may be 2019/20 at the earliest.

 

[thewave]

A lot of people undecided it looks like.

 

[IBeL34f]

A lot of people undecided it looks like.

Smart people

 

[zeke]

those sens played excellent committed team defence. the leafs can hardly play consistent for more than 2 periods.. if there's no effort to back the skill it doesn't matter.

16-17 OTT: 10th in goals against per game
17-18 TOR: 11th in goals against per game

 

[zeke]

17-18 TOR: 11th in GA/gm

16-17

Cup Finals: PIT: #17, NSH: #15

Conf Finals: ANA #3, OTT #10

2nd Round: WSH #1, EDM #8, NYR #12, STL #13

1st Round: CBJ #2, MTL #4, SJS #5, MIN #7, BOS #9, CHI #11, CGY #14, TOR #22

 

[thusk]

-If the Defence playing like they can, Rielly/Zaitsev/Gardiner is a good top 3 ... now With Dermott looking pretty solid and look like some kind of depht... Doesn't look that bad

-With 4 pretty fast line able to contibrute... but still need a 4th line centre and a guy like Letestu could be a good target for the team.

- with one of the best goalie this season

I'm trying to find a reason why leafs can't be a contender but i don't find any of them.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

I voted yes, because I look at this team and it is built for the current NHL game, it is built on youth speed and skill

Hyman Matthews Nylander

Marner Kadri Marleau

JVR Bozak Brown

Komaov Moore Kapenan

That is a deep, young fast, skilled lineu that can compete with anybody, there are not many teams that can match that speed, a poster earlier in this thread stated they lacked depth, that is completely ridiculous it does not get much deeper up front than that line up right there.

There are 7 guys in that lineup with 10+ goals, 4 of them have 15+ and Bozak and Marnerr have 8 so by the end of the season Should they choose to keep Bozak and JVR the Leafs will have 9 forwards with 10+ goals.

That forward group is good enough to win a championship, it is to say it isn't is a lie.

The weak point is the D and even that is pretty good, you got

Rielly-Hainsey

Gardiner Zaitsev

Dermott Carrick/Borgman

I want another guy there like a Mcdonagh, I think we all do but that s an off season move.

As it stands, the D core much like the forwards is young and mobile, they can skate with anybody and they can score add to that that the Leafs are pushing their way into the top 10 in GAPG and while the D is the weak point, when you compare it to what the Pens had on D the past 2 years, not exactly filled with Norris trophy caliber D men, do you want it to be better? sure but yes you can win with this D core.

as for goaltending Andersen has been lights out since the start of November's he is bordering on Vezina caliber at this point, I doubt he wins it but he has been fantastic he is a borderline elite goalie and if he can play like this in the playoffs yes they can win.

As for Mcbackup, Look I had issues with his consistency at one point this season, since he was on a good game, bad game, good, game, bad game routine, but now he is starting to put together some consistency and because of that his numbers are fantastic.

Yes the Leafs have the goaltending to win.

to say this team is "absolutely not" a contender is ridiculous

The Leafs are one of the deepest teams in the NHL, if they can make a move to add to that depth, you're damn right they can win.

 

[Cor]

We are 4th in the East.

I think we can beat Boston, I think we can beat Washington, and I think we can go toe to toe with Tampa Bay. (Especially the Tampa from the past month. Not as dominant.)

Everyone below us in the East doesn’t scare me, with maybe the exception of Pittsburgh.

So yes. IMO, there is a path to the finals for this team.

Do I think we are a favourite? Probably not, but we can certainly contend for the finals in the East, and once you get there, it’s a lot of luck

 

[Gary Nylund]

A lot of people undecided it looks like.

The next 7 games will be telling. I think it's possible we could be scary but we haven't showed it yet for more than a couple of games at at time and that's not gonna do it.

7 games, 5 of them very good teams and if we go all the way, quite possible that 3 or even 4 of the teams we play are in there. We should be in a much better position to decide at that point.

As far as teams "scaring us", nobody scares me. That doesn't mean I don't have a healthy respect for a number of teams and can't say we're better than they are.

It begins tonight. GLG!

 

[Gary Nylund]

We are 4th in the East.

I think we can beat Boston, I think we can beat Washington, and I think we can go toe to toe with Tampa Bay. (Especially the Tampa from the past month. Not as dominant.)

Everyone below us in the East doesn’t scare me, with maybe the exception of Pittsburgh.

So yes. IMO, there is a path to the finals for this team.

Do I think we are a favourite? Probably not, but we can certainly contend for the finals in the East, and once you get there, it’s a lot of luck

No more luck than in any other round.

 

[Mess]

Leafs might not be considered serious contenders this year, but if the Leafs play at the level they're currently are playing at, they will be a tough out.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Leafs might not be considered serious contenders this year, but if the Leafs play at the unsustainable level they're currently are playing at, they will be a tough out.

fixed.

Their main hope is that: even the blind squirrel can find a nut.

Trading UFAs at the deadline doesn't reduce our chances of winning Lord Stanley this year, so I'll route for the Leafs to go as far as they can this year, but I'll be sad if we dont load up on picks and prospects.

 

[Ryan Michaels]

Well they've looked like a bad hockey team bailed out by a goalie all year, you have to hope they're flipping the switch now. This is atop 5 roster in the league for everyones caterwauling about the rebuild still being in progress theyre finally starting to play like it on the ice.

Voted 100 percent

 

[meefer]

A good team with need to improve. I'm excited about where they are and where they are heading. Not there yet.

 

[Westlander]

A dark-horse contender when playing at their best. In the East the Lightning with their defence are superior on paper but I guess you never know with injuries or whatever. But even after the weekend I still think they might be able to take Boston in the first round.

 

[hobarth]

There's a lot of pessimists on this forum, TO is 6th in the league in points and we've seen a 16th place team win the Cup, LA, so TO is a contender. We or should I say some see TO's warts and for some reason think other teams don't have them, well they do even the teams ahead of TO in the standings. TO does have depth at pretty well every position and that depth probably trumps most other teams except maybe 2.

Times are good so let's enjoy the ride, the possibilities!!

 

[HamiltonNHL]

so TO is a contender.

You win the cup by being a consistent contender, for a decade.
You kick off that decade by trading for picks and prospects.

Nevermind this year.

Lou: Get me some picks and prospects !

 

[hobarth]

Just take a look at the other current teams in playoff positions in the east..Bruins, Blue Jackets, Flyers, Devils, Penguins, Capitals and Lightning.

I feel the Leafs have good chances against all of those teams quite frankly, and only 3 of those teams have more points and a better goal differential than the Leafs. (Lighting, Capitals, Bruins)

We're sitting 4th in the east and 8th in the league. We're a really good team and as weird and that sounds coming out of everyones mouths its true. Its unlikely but this team can go to the conference finals if things go their way. My expectations for this season were 2nd round, I think most would agree that 2nd round is a realistic expectation.

I disagree with his 3rd reason, while experience is nice I think youthful exuberance is under rated.

Pitts. proved that not having a true or proper #1 or #2 d-man isn't a barrier that automatically excludes teams from winning the Cup. The ability to score in pressure situations trumps good/great d, all teams must score to win, must, being sound defensively is only paramount if you can't score. Edmonton won many Cups without being sound or exceptional defensively. Do we need a better RHD sure, is it essential, no.

I think Bozak would be a fine defensive center for the 3rd line but having him and JVR on the same line is just nonsense, a nonsense that's been going on for far too many years. Babs has just now started to experiment, he needs to do far more.

Kadri's line is getting outplayed at home thru most of this year but is far superior on the road because Babs insists on playing Kadri's line against the opposition's best at home. Kadri's line at home is a possession nightmare and why Babs doesn't do something about it is beyond me.

I'd like to see the lines even further mixed up:

JVR/Matthews/Hyman
Kadri/Nylander/Brown
Marleau/Bozak/Marner
Johnsson/Leo/Kappy

I still don't see why TO continues to use Kadri as a center, I don't think he makes his linemates better but I think he would be golden as a LW, both offensively and defensively.

TO's 3 weakest d forwards need to be spread around, JVR, Nylander and Marner need players that can and will defend on their lines so that eventually peer pressure might induce them to improve defensively.

I love Leo on the 4th line, he's perfect there.

The d could use some changes, love Polak but he's best suited to a different NHL and should only be used as insurance/depth which is the same way I view Hainsey. The d needs to be able to move the puck not just defend and having a puck mover with some stay at home d-man is nonsensical, all the d-men should be mobile.

The d pairings I see for now:

Gardiner/Rielly
Dermott/Zaitsev
Borgman/Carrick

Half these d-men need experience and their talent justifies them warranting it. TO is comfortably in a playoff position and can afford to lose some games because of inexperience, the long range game plan should be to allow these d-men to learn now for future benefit, if not this year then next.

The extra d-men I would prefer are Holl, Hainsey and Polak, in that order.

 

[Maple Leaf]

Leafs need to be sellers are the deadline
Will they get past the Bruins
No
So get some pix now

 

[BlueBaron]

Leafs need to be sellers are the deadline
Will they get past the Bruins
No
So get some pix now

Leafs won't beat a team they have beaten twice and lost once to because you say so? Quality argument.

Yes they are the favorites but 8th seeds bump 1rsts all the time. We can give them a go. Not everyone is into quitting before they try, usually only losers.

 

[Polaris1010]

Lets have at it! What do you guys and gals think?

Absolutely this version of the Leafs a legitimate contender. Which players cannot produce this playoff season, they might even move.

How many teams are better than the Leafs?

Not many.

Maybe only 5 teams we can say are better than Toronto right now.

Given there are 16 playoff teams, this means the Leafs are a real contender.

Toronto is not a favourite, but it is not a longshot either. That means in this horse race, they are a contender.

Unless we make the claim the Leafs have no chance against teams like Tampa or Boston, such as Toronto last season against Washington, then Toronto is a legitimate contender.

 

[Mr Hockey]

 

[56 Years No Cup]

B..b..but Bozak sucks....

(Do I have to use the sarcasm font?)

 

[TakeTheBody]

At the start of the season I wanted to make the playoffs and win at least one round in the playoffs. That hasn't changed. When Jake plays the way he played last night he takes us next level. I still don't think that's enough. So my answer this year is no. Next year? Yes. No excuses.