The Toronto Maple Leafs have given their fans something new to talk about during this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
For years, the media covering this hockey-crazed market recycled familiar April (and occasionally May) storylines: questionable goaltending, defensive weaknesses, and stars who disappeared when it mattered most.
But the Leafs are breaking their usual patterns.
They opened the playoffs with a comfortable win, built a 3-0 first-round lead, and started the second round with two home victories against Florida. This 6-2 playoff record has sparked fresh explanations for their success.
Coach Craig Berube, who won a Cup with St. Louis, has brought a steadying presence behind the bench.
The blue line additions of Chris Tanev, Brandon Carlo, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have strengthened the defense.
William Nylander has emerged as a playoff scoring threat.
Yet looking beyond the results reveals potential concerns. Auston Matthews has scored just two goals—the same number as Ekman-Larsson and Max Pacioretty, who watched the first two playoff games from the press box.
Defensemen have accounted for seven goals—a quarter of Toronto’s offense.
Four of their six wins have come by just one goal, including two overtime victories against Ottawa and both home wins over Florida.
It was only last week when consecutive losses to Ottawa had everyone revisiting familiar narratives about Toronto’s inability to finish opponents when given the chance.
So are these truly changed Maple Leafs, or have we simply adjusted our explanations to match the results?
The upcoming games in South Florida will help answer that question.
Perhaps the Leafs aren’t completely transformed—and that’s not necessarily criticism. Their playoff disappointments haven’t typically been blowout losses. The Core Four era Maple Leafs have been an almost-but-not-quite team: an overtime Game 7 loss to Boston last season, an overtime Game 6 loss to Tampa Bay in 2022, and back-to-back overtime losses in potential closeout games against Montreal the year before.
What made Toronto’s eight-year playoff drought so frustrating wasn’t spectacular failure—it was consistently losing by the slimmest margins.
This explains why management kept insisting they were close and refused to dismantle their roster built around four talented, expensive forwards. Eventually, those fine margins would turn in their favor, right?
We’ve seen similar turnarounds elsewhere. The Oilers struggled with playoff goaltending before reaching Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup Final. The Capitals couldn’t get past playoff hurdles for years until they finally won it all.
It’s premature to imagine such outcomes for Toronto. But through one round and two second-round games, Team Run It Back has finally caught some breaks in the postseason.
Is this just good luck? Or are the coaching changes and roster additions making just enough difference at crucial moments?
Nylander scored twice to give Toronto an early lead in Game 1 against Florida—precisely when the Leafs might have shown their traditional playoff nervousness. Those veteran defenders blocked shots late in Game 2 as the Panthers pushed for a tying goal.
In the end, the reasons behind the improved results matter less than whether the Leafs can maintain them. To the victors go the narratives.
Scott Stinson is a contributing writer with theScore.
