The Maple Leafs need to address this flaw.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are gearing up for the 2024-25 season as training camp draws to a close. Toronto failed to beat the Boston Bruins in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs earlier this spring. As a result, the Maple Leafs brought in Craig Berube as the new head coach of the team. This is one major change made by a team desperate to go on a deep playoff run.
On paper, there is no reason Toronto hasn't truly competed for the Stanley Cup. The Maple Leafs have the best pure goal scorer in the league in Auston Matthews. Furthermore, they have some of the highest-paid players in the league on the team. William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares all make north of $10.9 million a season.
All of those players are skilled in their own right. However, they have not had a ton of playoff success. In fact, the Maple Leafs have won just one playoff series since 2004. This playoff series win did happen in 2023, but they were eliminated in the second round in five games.
The pressure is on for the Maple Leafs to succeed. Especially after making a head coaching change over the summer. There are few excuses left and there are few avenues left to explore if things do not work out this year. In saying this, there is one major flaw Toronto must fix if they are to go on a deep playoff run in 2025.
Maple Leafs have talented but questionable blueline
The Maple Leafs had question marks on their blueline in 2023-24. This was evident before Toronto lost John Klingberg to a season-ending injury early on. And the team pursued some patchwork additions at the NHL Trade Deadline. This got them through the 2023-24 season, but it was clear they needed more on the back end.
In NHL Free Agency, the Maple Leafs added to their blueline. Chris Tanev came over through a trade with the Dallas Stars. He signed a six-year contract after the trade. Furthermore, Toronto signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson fresh off a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers.
These two additions certainly bring added skill and talent to the defense. However, question marks with this group remain. For instance, Tanev has emerged as an elite shutdown defenseman over the last few seasons. If paired with Morgan Rielly, though, he may be the primary defensive player on the pair. It may be difficult for him to maintain his elite form with a tougher workload.
Unquestionably, Rielly is Toronto's top defenseman. But he is more of an offensive player than a true two-way rearguard. Compared to other contenders in the league, he does not stack up favorably to the top defensemen on those teams. This could be an issue, especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
There are also questions down the lineup. Ekman-Larsson could play a role larger than his skills are suited for at this point. Simon Benoit had some ups and downs last year, and may not be the best choice on the third pairing. And Toronto may not have an established third-pairing defender on the right side.
The Maple Leafs certainly have a talented roster, and their defense has some intriguing players. However, this group has to put it all together on the ice. If they don't, Toronto will have issues with some of the true Stanley Cup contenders this year. Those issues could prevent them from going on the deep playoff run they have been chasing in 2025.
