Do the Toronto Maple Leafs have enough to compete for Lord Stanley’s mug?, Canada Reviews

The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to finish among the top three teams in the Atlantic Division, according to Puckpedia, but that won’t mean much if it doesn’t lead to a deep playoff run (especially because the team only had one playoff series win in eight years). Still, sportsbooks are giving the Leafs +1500 odds of winning the Stanley Cup finals, meaning there’ll be high expectations on star players like Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and John Tavares as they head into this new season.

Craig Berube is head coach (he took over from Sheldon Keefe in May) and Matthews has been named the 26^th captain in franchise history (taking over from Tavares, as announced back in August). Opening night takes place on the road on Wed. Oct 9 at the Bell Centre against the Montreal Canadiens.

Here’s a preview of the 2024-2025 roster:

Centers:

Auston Matthews

• Stats: 27, 6′ 3″, 215 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 69, Assists: 38, Points: 107
• Overview: Considered “the most talented player in Toronto Maple Leafs history”. Signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Leafs in Aug. 2023 and proceeded to score his 300th NHL goal to help the Leafs open the 2023-24 season in a 6-5 shootout win against the Montreal Canadiens. He became the fifth player to score 300 goals with the Leafs and the 10th player in NHL history with at least eight straight 30-goal seasons from the start of his NHL career. Recently, he scored a power-play goal and added an assist in a 3-2 preseason win over Detroit.

John Tavares

• Stats: 34, 6′ 1″, 211 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 29, Assists: 36, Points: 65
• Overview: He’s expected to be ready for the start of the season as part of the first power-play unit during the 2024-25 campaign.

Connor Dewar

• Stats: 25, 5′ 10″ 183 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 11, Assists: 8, Points: 19
• Overview: Dewar is recovering from a torn labrum but is expected to be ready for the beginning of the season.

Max Domi

• Stats: 29, 5′ 10″, 208 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 9, Assists: 38, Points: 47
• Overview: He signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the Leafs in 2023, and in June 2024, he signed a four-year, $15 million contract to stay with the team. Experts suggest that his goal should be to avoid a slow start to the year.

Calle Jarnkrok

• Stats: 33, 6′ 0″, 190 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 10, Assists: 11, Points: 21
• Overview: Jarnkrok has been in and out of the lineup during preseason due to a lingering upper-body injury.

David Kampf

• Stats: 29, 6′ 2″, 190 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 8, Assists: 11, Points: 19
• Overview: He signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the Leafs in July 2021, and a four-year, $10 million contract in June 2023, after an NHL career-high of 27 points in the 2022-23 season.

Bobby McMann

• Stats: 28, 6′ 2″, 210 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 15, Assists: 9, Points: 24
• Overview: Dealt with hip issues in previous seasons but appears to be past that. His breakout season with the Leafs was in 2023-24 where he scored 15 goals and added 10 assists in 66 games.

Fraser Minten

• Stats: 20 6′ 1″, 185 lbs
• Overview: Sidelined for now as he is dealing with a high-ankle sprain that he obtained during rookie camp last month.

Left Wings:

Matthew Knies

• Stats: 21, 6′ 3″, 217 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 15, Assists: 20, Points: 35,
• Overview: Toronto’s second-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft.  He’s the youngest (and heaviest) Leaf player expected to play opening night.

Max Pacioretty

• Stats: 35, 6′ 2″, 217 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 4, Assists: 19, Points: 23
• Overview: Signed a one-year, $873,770 contract with the Leafs on Oct. 7 after participating in training camp on a professional tryout contract.

Nicholas Robertson

• Stats: 23, 5′ 9″, 178 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 14, Assists: 13, Points: 27
• Overview: Signed a one-year, $875,000 contract with the Leafs in Sept. 2024, coming off a 14-goal, 27-point season in 56 games.

Right Wings:

Mitch Marner

• Stats: 27, 6′ 0″, 180 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 26, Assists: 59, Points: 85
• Overview: The Markham, Ont., native is in the last year of his contract with the Leafs and is in a good position to negotiate during the season. He has 639 points, including 194 goals in 576 games since entering the league in the 2016-17 season. He set up two power-play goals in a recent exhibition win over the Detroit Red Wings.

Ryan Reaves

• Stats: 37, 6′ 2″, 226 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 4, Assists: 2, Points: 6
• Overview: Considered one of the toughest fighters in the NHL. Signed a three-year contract with the Leafs in July 2023, with an average annual value of $1.35 million.

Pontus Holmberg

• Stats: 25, 6′ 0″, 188 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 7, Assists: 10, Points: 17
• Overview: Currently signed to a 2-year contract with a cap hit of $800,000 per season. Experts believe he’ll be a consistent staple in Toronto’s lineup.

William Nylander

• Stats: 28, 6′ 0″, 202 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 40, Assists: 58, Points: 98
• Overview: Had 27 points (12 goals, 15 assists) during a Leafs-record 17-game point streak to begin the 2023-24 season. He signed an eight-year, $92 million contract with the Leafs in Jan. 2024. He was given a chance to transition to center during the preseason, but it was ultimately decided he’ll continue playing right ring.

Defense:

Simon Benoit

• Stats: 26, 6′ 4″, 205 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 1, Assists: 4, Points: 5
• Overview: Signed as a free agent by the Leafs in August. Could possibly be a key contributor to the Leafs’ success this season, especially if he establishes himself as a reliable shutdown defenceman, experts suggest.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson

• Stats: 33, 6′ 2″, 191 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 9, Assists: 23, Points: 32
• Overview: Signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Leafs in July. Internationally, he helped Sweden capture gold medals at the 2017 and 2018 IIHF World Championships and a silver medal at the 2014 Olympic Games.

Jani Hakanpaa

• Stats: 32, 6′ 7″, 222 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 2, Assists: 10, Points: 12
• Overview: Signed as a free agent by Toronto last month. Placed on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR), which prevents the Leafs from activating him for at least 24 days/10 games.

Timothy Liljegren

• Stats: 25, 6′ 1″, 190 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 3, Assists: 20, Points: 23
• Overview: Signed a two-year, $6 million contract extension this past summer to stay with the Leafs, although trade rumours are swirling.

Steven Lorentz

• Stats: 28, 6′ 4″, 216 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 1, Assists: 2, Points: 3
• Overview: Signed a one-year deal worth $775,000 with the Leafs; he’s coming over from the Florida Panthers.

Jake McCabe

• Stats: 30, 6′ 1″, 211 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 8, Assists: 20, Points: 28
• Overview:  Was traded to the Leafs in Feb. 2023. He missed the preseason finale game against the Red Wings due to an upper-body issue, but was spotted on the ice ahead of a recent Leafs’ skate practice.

Dakota Mermis

• Stats: 30, 6′ 0″, 195 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 3, Assists: 5, Points: 8
• Overview: Underwent jaw surgery in Sept., so will miss the first few weeks of the regular season while he recovers.

Philippe Myers

• Stats: 27, 6′ 6″, 213 lbs
• Overview: Signed to a 1-year contract with a cap hit of $775,000 per season.

Morgan Rielly

• Stats: 30, 6′ 1″, 225 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 7, Assists: 51, Points: 58
• Overview: The first Leafs defenseman with at least six assists in a playoff year (since 2004, when Brian Leetch had eight in 13 games).

Chris Tanev

• Stats: 34, 6′ 2″, 193 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 2, Assists: 17, Points: 19
• Overview: Signed a six-year, $27 million contract (with an average annual value of $4.5 million) with the Leafs in June. He turns 35 in December and has played a full 82-game season just once in his 14-year career. Experts believe Tanev will join Morgan Relly as the team’s top pair.

Conor Timmins

• Stats: 26, 6′ 2″, 206 lbs
• Last year: Goals: 1, Assists: 9, Points: 10
• Overview: Traded to Toronto by Arizona for Curtis Douglas in Nov. 2022. Experts have stated that he makes fun offensive plays and skates with confidence when exiting the zone.

Marshall Rifai

• Stats: 26, 6′ 2″, 200 lbs
• Overview: He was recently placed on waivers; on Oct. 7, it was announced that he’ll now report to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

Goalies:

Anthony Stolarz

• Stats: 30, 6′ 6″, 243 lbs
• Last year: Goals Against per Game: 2.03, Save Percentage: .925, Wins-Losses-Overtime Losses: 16-7-2, Shutouts: 2
• Overview: Signed as a free agent by Toronto in July. Stopped all 30 shots he faced in the preseason win over the Red Wings.

Joseph Woll

• Stats: 26, 6′ 3″, 202 lbs
• Last year: Goals Against per Game: 2.94, Save Percentage: .907, Wins-Losses-Overtime Losses: 12-11-1, Shutouts: 0
• Overview: Signed a three-year contract with the Leafs in Feb 2022. Made 18 saves in a 3-2 win over the Red Wings in a recent preseason game.

Matt Murray

• Stats: 30, 6′ 4″, 178 lbs
• Overview: Traded to the Leafs in July 2022. He was recently placed on waivers; on Oct. 7, it was announced that he’ll now report to the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.

The Leafs’ first home game of the regular season will take place on Oct. 12 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Scotiabank Arena. Here’s hoping fans will get the value out of their money — a recent study by the team at the Action Network ranked Scotiabank Arena as the most expensive stadium for families.

The total cost (which includes ranking metrics like four general tickets, two beers, soft drinks, four hot dogs, parking, child admission policy, etc.) was about CAD 970.82 (approx. CAD 374.96 above average compared to other arenas). The main source of this expense is the high ticket costs. As we previously reported, Leafs fans have to pay the most out of any other fans in the league on average and fans fear even higher ticket prices as Scotiabank Arena renovations continue.