Toronto Maple Leafs lock up spot in Stanley Cup Playoffs

For the second straight season, the Toronto Maple Leafs have locked up a spot in the postseason. But expectations are much higher this time around.

Last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2012-13 season. They surprised everyone, proving their rebuild was over about a year ahead of schedule. The Leafs came into the 2017-18 season with great expectations and have, for the most part, met them.

Thanks to some help from the Ottawa Senators, who beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in overtime, the Maple Leafs have made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second straight season. However, this time it’s different.

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Last year, the Leafs were playing with house money as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. No one expected them to be there, so all the pressure was on the Washington Capitals. The Leafs fought admirably but lost to them in six games.

This time around, the Leafs aren’t going to take anyone by surprise. They’ve had a target on their backs from the opening faceoff of the first game. Anything less than a Stanley Cup win will feel a bit disappointing for the Leafs. Especially since this is the last season they’ll have each of their young forwards William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and Auston Matthews on entry-level contracts.

Toronto has been impressive this season, finding ways to win even with Matthews (54 points in 57 games as of March 30) twice missing games due to injuries. Nazem Kadri (30 goals and 52 points) has quietly been extremely effective in his shutdown role. Everyone talks about trading Marner, but maybe the Leafs should hang onto their top scorer (67 points). Just a thought.

Nylander (55 points) hasn’t had the outstanding season everyone expected from him, but still, he’s been pretty darn good. James van Riemsdyk (35 goals) has been a deadly power-play weapon and will be motivated by his pursuit of a new contract this offseason.

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Defensemen Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner have blossomed into terrific young defensemen. Travis Dermott (13 points in 34 games) has given the blueline a new energy they lacked previously. Patrick Marleau (44 points) has embraced his role as the team dad, unofficially adopting Matthews and Marner as his kids.

The Leafs have much grander expectations this year, but they appear to have a roster capable of making their Stanley Cup dreams come true.

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