Is this the year? 5 things to know about the 2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs

It has been 57 years since a Toronto Maple Leaf hoisted the Stanley Cup trophy astatine the extremity of an NHL season.

That has been pugnacious for Toronto fans to take, but has besides meant decades of ribbing from archrival fans of the Montreal Canadiens.

That said, it has been decades since immoderate Habs saw their names engraved connected hockey’s apical trophy either — leaving the bragging from Montreal supporters hollow.

If oddsmakers are correct, the 2 sides look improbable to extremity their respective droughts adjacent outpouring arsenic Fanduel has the Leafs astatine +1500, portion the Habs are priced astatine +23000 — placing Toronto arsenic the 10th favourite and Montreal arsenic the 5th worst.

The 2 squads volition footwear disconnected their NHL seasons by renewing their rivalry connected Wednesday night, arsenic they conscionable for the 769th clip successful Montreal astatine the Bell Centre.

While galore Maple Leafs’ fans were calling for a large shakeup of the team’ prima forwards pursuing different disastrous playoff exit, the squad made changes elsewhere instead.

The Leafs’ caller seat brag is Craig Berube, who was a heavyweight pugilist during his playing vocation and is expected to adhd a much no-nonsense attack arsenic coach.

Back successful June, the caller manager said helium was excited to travel to a Leafs team, which has a talented halfway that has flamed retired successful the playoffs.

“The halfway subordinate radical is large here,” helium said. “They got immoderate large players present and that was decidedly 1 of the attractions to travel and manager this team.”

Berube comes to Toronto with the pedigree of having won a Stanley Cup successful 2019 arsenic manager of the Blues, his archetypal twelvemonth successful St. Louis.

It volition beryllium his 3rd halt arsenic coach, having besides served arsenic manager successful Philadelphia, compiling a 281-190-72 vocation grounds crossed 8 seasons down the bench.

While Berube does person a ringing to amusement for his troubles, his teams person besides failed to marque the playoffs twice, portion besides advancing past the archetypal circular twice.

During Berube’s lengthy playing career, helium spent 40 games arsenic a subordinate of the Toronto Maple Leafs portion besides being a portion of 2 of the biggest deals of the past 50 years.

He came to Toronto arsenic portion of a woody that saw Glen Anderson and Grant Fuhr get from Edmonton, and a half-season aboriginal helium was sent to Calgary arsenic portion of a bundle that saw Doug Gilmour and Jamie Macoun articulation the Leafs.

Those 2 deals successful ample portion propelled the occurrence a long-moribund franchise successful the 1990s.

There is ever a whipping lad connected the Toronto roster among Leafs fans, and presently that rubric belongs to 1 Mitchell Marner.

One lone has to glimpse astatine Reddit, to rapidly spot a fractional twelve threads suggesting that Marner is “soft successful the corners” and “afraid to get hit.”

What Marner has done is look successful 576 games implicit 8 seasons successful Toronto portion scoring 194 goals and adding different 445 assists.

He has besides recorded 50 successful 57 games but the Leafs’ deficiency of playoff occurrence during his clip successful Toronto has led to the questions of toughness.

It has besides led galore to expect him to extremity up successful Berube’s doghouse, should helium oregon the Leafs extremity up starting dilatory this season.

Marner becomes an unrestricted escaped cause aft the season, truthful it volition beryllium absorbing to spot if the Leafs effort to motion him oregon woody him earlier the deadline, alternatively than hazard losing him for nothing.

While the Leafs changed coaches implicit the summer, they besides changed their captains arsenic John Tavares traded successful his ‘C’ for an ‘A’ and handed implicit the captaincy to Auston Matthews.

Tavares, who is 34 years aged and entering into the last twelvemonth of his contract, said helium was connected committee with the change, erstwhile it was announced backmost successful August.

The 26-year-old Matthews is present the 26th skipper successful franchise history.

“I’m truthful honoured and humbled. Since being drafted present 8 years ago, you recognize however peculiar it is to play for the metropolis of Toronto, to deterioration the maple leafage connected your thorax each azygous night,” Matthews said astatine the time.

“It conscionable means the satellite to maine and I look guardant to continuing our travel to evidently get to the apical of the upland and triumph the Stanley Cup and bring it backmost to Toronto.”

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He is not the astir vocal subordinate astir but Tavares thinks his replacement volition person nary issues successful starring the charge.

“It’s astonishing however helium pushes the team, I deliberation a batch of times without … realizing it,” Matthews said successful August. “And you tin conscionable archer by the mode helium inspires others, with his talent, his enactment ethic, and conscionable being truthful level grounded, conscionable being 1 of the guys each azygous day.“

While the beforehand bureau chose not to determination immoderate of the large names up beforehand — -0r Morgan Reilly, for that substance — they did adhd a trio of aged newcomers to the bluish line.

Fans person precocious hopes for Christopher Tanev, who volition apt brace up with Reilly to signifier the team’s apical antiaircraft pairing.

After spending years patrolling the bluish enactment successful Calgary and Vancouver, helium spent the extremity of past play and the playoffs successful Dallas, wherever helium helped the Stars scope the Western Conference finals.

He present returns location to Toronto, but the squad is partially pinning its hopes connected a antheral who volition crook 35 successful December.

The 2 different large antiaircraft acquisitions on the bluish enactment look akin questions arsenic Oliver Ekman-Larsson is present 33 years aged portion Jani Hakanpaa is besides 32 years old, with the second acceptable to statesman the play connected injured reserve (IR). He is joined connected IR by Dakota Mermis.

Ekman-Larsson is expected to statesman the play with Jake McCabe, though the second missed Saturday’s pre-season finale owed to an upper-body injury.

As the Leafs added immoderate caller faces to the roster, it besides said goodbye to Ilya Lyubushkin and Joel Edmundson portion reports suggest Timothy Liljegren has already entered into Craig Berube’s doghouse and is being shopped.

The days of Ilya Samsonov being the No. 1 goaltender successful Toronto person travel to an extremity arsenic helium has moved connected to Vegas wherever helium volition backmost up Adin Hill.

Toronto is acceptable to manus implicit the keys to the crease to Joseph Woll, who has been moving arsenic Samsonov’s understudy for the past mates of seasons.

While appearing successful 25 NHL games past year, helium recorded a .907 prevention percent and 2.94 goals-against mean (GAA) portion helium finished with a 12-11-1 record.

While Woll’s grounds whitethorn not person been that appealing, helium was beauteous beardown successful the abbreviated stint successful the playoffs.

The biggest question people is astir whether oregon not helium tin enactment steadfast arsenic his play was somewhat derailed by wounded past year.

He volition stock the crease with a caller look arsenic Anthony Stolar, was signed distant from the Florida Panthers successful the off-season to backmost him up.

The journeyman netminder appears successful 27 games for the Ducks past year, posting a 16-7-2 grounds with a 2.03 GAA and a .925 prevention percentage.