Last season, the Maple Leafs’ year ended in pretty much the worst possible scenario: a game 7 loss to the Boston Bruins. Since then, they have upgraded their roster in free agency, made some leadership changes, and went through another Entry Draft. Now, the team is looking better than ever to compete for the Stanley Cup.

Heading into Training Camp, the Leafs look towards some of their prospects to break through. Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten are a couple guys who look to fight for a roster spot come opening day. Cowan impressed in camp and in preseason last year, but couldn’t secure that final roster spot. This year, he looks to take that next step to find himself taking some NHL reps. With his great shooting abilities, he should impress the coaching staff and make a direct impact come preseason.

Over the offseason, the Maple Leafs did their best to bolster their blueline, and with the additions of Tanev, OEL, the Leafs look to be a stronger and better structurally defended come opening night. The team looks to be pretty set in stone, barring any late additions on the left side of the forward group.

What to look for in Training Camp

In training camp, the main focus is to be able to point out players that give you a chance to win the 82 regular season contests that you will compete in. In the Leafs situation, their young stars need to shine in this camp. Easton Cowan leads the group of young stars that look to compete for a roster spot with the big club, and if he is able to shine, he will have a great chance at getting into some NHL games early in the season. Over the training camp games, Cowan has looked like an absolute stud among the group, and a real threat to open up his 2024-25 campaign with the Maple Leafs. Guys like. Fraser Minten, Nikita Grebyonkin, and maybe even Ben Danford are all guys who look to make an impact for a roster spot sometime in this season. The Leafs look for what kind of depth they have down with the Marlies, and they look at guys who are almost ready to break through to the NHL level.

New Look Maple Leafs

The Leafs will ice a different looking team. A team that features Auston Matthews as the new captain of the Maple Leafs. With a lot of new help on the backend, the Leafs defense looks to better shut down opponents and allow the offence to go to work. Chris Tanev is a player that many Leafs fans have wanted in the Blue and White for years, and they finally got him. A defense first mindset and a player who is not afraid to. get in front of the puck, Tanev will be a savior for our goaltenders.

Questions for Next Year

Of all the positive factors with this team, there are still a few questions that need to be answered, and addressed. Another one is the left side of the forward group. With a roster of Knies, McMann, Holmberg, and recently resigned Robertson, it is by far the weakest part of our forward group. Reports show that the Leafs are still actively looking for left wingers, with Max Pacioretty leading the charge.

Bounce Back Candidates

John Tavares

The former captain of our Maple Leafs, had a bit of a decline during the 2023-24 season. John posted 29G, 36A, for 65P overall, his lowest total over a full season since his rookie campaign. With this decline, Leafs fans all hope that Tavares can bounce back with a strong season across the board. Look for a 70P season with a hard working player who can get into the dirty areas of the rink.

Morgan Rielly

With 7G and 51A, it might not seem like a bad player, but the defense was horrid. Rielly is one of the worst defensive defenders in the entire NHL. To be fair, he has been paired often enough with a capable defender,  allowing Rielly to go all in on his offensive abilities. Now, being paired with Chris Tanev, that fact proves to be more true now than ever before. Tanev is good enough to handle the load of two defenders, allowing Rielly to not even worry about his defensive responsibilities. Look for Rielly to nail down at least 60P with a large chunk of those points on the powerplay, as well as better looking defensive statistics.

The Maple Leafs open their season at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens on October 9th, and open up at home October 12th against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Leafs hope that this is the year they finally break through and make a deep run in the playoffs. Lets cheer on the buds to a Stanley Cup in 2025.

Projected Roster:

Knies – Matthews – Marner

Robertson – Tavares – Nylander

McMann – Domi – Jarnkrok

Holmberg – Kampf – Dewar

Rielly – Tanev

Benoit – McCabe

Ekman-Larsson – Liljegren

Woll

Stolarz