While many are skeptical about the Toronto Maple Leafs being a viable threat to win it all, their recent play is catching people’s attention.
Early in the 2024-25 season, the Leafs were hurt with a massive injury bug. From losing goaltender Joseph Woll for the opening weeks of the season, to playing nine games without captain Auston Matthews, Toronto had plenty of opportunities to make excuses for any shortcomings.
Yet, the team has persevered and is battling for the top spot in the Atlantic Division with the Florida Panthers. As of Monday, the Leafs are just one point back of the defending Stanley Cup champions for first place with two games in hand. Players like Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and others have stepped up with a rotating cast in the lineup, but the question remains…are the Maple Leafs contenders to win the Stanley Cup?
That question was addressed on Monday’s edition of Daily Faceoff LIVE, as Colby Cohen and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss how good Toronto truly is.
Colby Cohen: Based on what we’ve seen in the regular season. I like the emergence of Fraser Minten, I think that’s a nice add. I think Auston Matthews doesn’t get enough credit for his defensive play and what he’s able to do in all three zones. Look, you can’t deny the way Mitch Marner and John Tavares have played. Right now, you’re just getting this 1-2 punch with those two groups.
At the end of the day, you’re asking me if they’re a contender. Yes, but to me, they’re still No. 5…The reason for that, I’ve got too much data and I’ve seen too many playoff series where [Marner] is invisible, [Matthews] struggling to find his game and they’re goaltending issues. This year, they have a 1A-1A punch…[Anthony] Stolarz has carried the mail and Woll has dealt with his injuries and came back, and he’s starting to play well. I think this is the steadiest they’ve been in goal. I also love Craig Berube in the way he holds these guys accountable.
USA Hockey always wants to win – thanks, Captain Obvious. But there’s something special about doing it on Canadian ice – just like they did when they won in Edmonton back in 2021.
The Americans are looking to win consecutive gold for the first time in team history. History hasn’t been on their side, though: they’ve never qualified for the gold medal game the year after winning it all. Fortunately, they’ll have 10 players eligible to return this year, with many – including Gabe Perreault and Ryan Leonard – looking to have a leading role this time around.
With today’s roster announcement, USA is bringing 28 players to camp later this month. That means only three will go home early thanks to the increased 25-player roster this year. Training camp will take part at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth from Dec. 16-17, which is smaller than usual. Fortunately, it feels like there won’t be a ton of difficult decisions to make this time around: they’ve got a solid group with plenty of experience playing together, primarily due to the existence of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program.