These are the perfect Toronto Maple Leafs forward lines

TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 25: Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his game winning goal in overtime against the New York Rangers with teammate Auston Matthews #34 during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on January 25, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Rangers 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

1 of 5

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a lot of success in the regular season over the last handful of years. Things started to get really good for them when they won the draft lottery in 2016. That allowed them to select Auston Mathews with the first overall pick in that year’s draft.

Since then, they have been one of the best teams in the NHL. They have a core of players led by Matthews that is sure to be very good for a long time. They supplemented their lineup with other good prospects and free agent signings and that led to them being a powerhouse.

The playoffs have been a different story for them during this era though. Outside of winning their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning back in April, it has been all first-round exits for them since Matthews came along.

Their first-round woes did come to an end but they didn’t even come close to winning in the second round after that so they still have a lot of work to do. They made some really nice additions this off-season that should help them grow into a top playoff threat.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have a very good group again this year.

It is a franchise that is driven by its forward group. They have some of the best talent that the NHL has to offer. Adding guys like Tyler Bertuzzi along with Max Domi brings more sandpaper to the group but those guys are special because they can also score a whole lot.

This is what the forward lines should look like to open the 2023-24 Toronto Maple Leafs season:

Home/Toronto Maple Leafs