Toronto Maple Leafs Remain a Pampered Country Club

Toronto Maple Leafs Remain a Pampered Country Club

Indeed, no other NHL team has produced so little for so much fan support and revenue than the Toronto Maple Leafs. And that may be part of the NHL odds problem. Sellout crowds remain and at skyrocketing prices to attend. The late owner, Harold Ballard, used to sneer at Leaf fans. To show, he said that Leaf fans would continue to sell out games even if they lose. It turns out Ballard isn’t wrong. Toronto’s last Stanley Cup championship was in 1967. Specifically, that was the last year of the Original Six before the Great Expansion.

NHL Toronto Maple Leafs 2024 Stanley Cup Odds

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Maple Leafs Team Overview

At the approach of the All-Star Break, the Toronto Maple Leafs are 24-14-8 straight up and 19-20-1 over/under the total. Also, Toronto is 1st in the Eastern Conference wild-card playoff standings. Detroit is one point behind the Maple Leafs in the Eastern Conference wild-card playoff race. Late on Toronto has covered three out of their last eight games. While the Maple Leafs have gone under the total in four of its previous six matchups.

Toronto has NHL rankings of 8th for goals scored and 9th for power play efficiency. In comparison on defense, the Maple Leafs have NHL rankings of 21st for goals against and 27th for penalty killing.

The Maple Leafs showed defensive improvement over the previous two seasons. However, they are taking the backcheck off this campaign. They play a form of offensive pond hockey that is fun to watch. But that style is irresponsible and incapable of winning a Stanley Cup. There is no offshore bookmaker indication yet that in 2023-24, that is going to change. The Maple Leafs remain an entitled country club of soft players.

Toronto Maple Leafs Key Players and Goaltending

Number one goaltender Martin Jones had a respectable .911 save percentage to start the season. Jones was undrafted and began his career in 2013-14 for the Los Angeles Kings. In turn, he was part of a Kings Stanley Cup championship. This is Jones’ first season in Toronto.

C Auston Matthews is the marquee man on the Leafs with 38 goals and 18 assists in his first 44 games. Of course, Matthews was the first overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft and has played his entire career for Toronto. In 481 career games, Matthews has 299 goals, 243 assists, and 542 points. Matthews is a seven-time All-Star, including this season. Previously, He was the 2022 Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL MVP.

Morgan Relly is the Leafs’ top defenseman and one of the best power-play quarterbacks in the NHL. Reilly was the 5th overall pick of the 2012 Draft and has played his entire career with Toronto. Now, Reilly is a 2024 NHL All-Star.

Toronto Maple Leafs History

Since their last Stanley Cup championship in 1967, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been shut out. Toronto has won 13 Stanley Cup championships. They were founded in 1917 as an “Original Six” franchise. Consider that 1967 was the final Original Six season before the Great Expansion, in which the NHL doubled in six from six to 12 teams. The fact that the Leafs have not won a championship in the expansion era is a source of great embarrassment to a historical organization. Additionally, it’s a humiliation for a fan base that rubs many the wrong way as entitled and arrogant.