The Toronto Maple Leafs have made many changes in the offseason. There’s been a change in the culture around the team because of that. With this culture change, there are discussions about the chances of the Leafs winning their division this season. Apart from the 2020-21 season, clinching the division is something this team hasn’t accomplished in 25 years. It was in the 1999-00 season when they topped the Northeast Division. Later in the playoffs, they were eliminated by the Stanley Cup champions, the New Jersey Devils in the second round. Despite what history says, the Maple Leafs are looking to reach new levels in both the regular season and the playoffs. And the new culture that has been injected into this team may help them get over the line.
The New Culture
During this offseason, general manager Brad Treliving set the tone for the new season. It all started with changing the head coach right after they were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Craig Berube was hired and right out of the gate, he laid out his blueprint. He made it clear in his first presser how he was going to run the team. Now, there is more of a physical presence from everyone on the Leafs roster. They also play a much more simplified game with a lot of pace. It also helps that Berube has a history of winning, as he won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. Everything is different compared to the way it was under Sheldon Keefe. Therefore, there is a culture change in that sense.
There was a change in personnel over the offseason as well. The players that were brought in sent a message to the rest of the team. Not only did they just bring in some hardnosed players, such as Chris Tanev, but they brought in players with championship pedigree. Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson and goaltender Anthony Stolarz were signed on July 1. Both of those players won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers in the season prior. That’s not all, in the early stages of September, Toronto brought in another Cup champion with the Panthers in Steven Lorentz. He was brought in on a PTO and recently was signed to a one-year deal with the Maple Leafs.
Change Within the Team
There’s also a new leader in Toronto. John Tavares passed the captaincy to Auston Matthews back in August. It was a breath of fresh air for the team. Tavares was a great captain and still is a great leader. However, this is Matthews’ team and everyone knows it. It was the right time to change up the look and also get a new voice. While some believe that changing letters isn’t a big change or shouldn’t be a big change, it is.
It’s more than who speaks up in the locker room or on the ice, anyone can do that. The way Matthews leads the team with his performance on the ice is inspirational to the rest of the team and others should want to follow his work ethic and drive. Putting the ‘C’ on his chest makes it a reality, and the message is “This is the guy that will lead us.”
Dogfight in the Atlantic Division
In the last few years, the Atlantic Division has been the toughest division in hockey. A team from the Atlantic has featured in the last six Stanley Cup finals. As the years go on, it only gets tougher. There are the consistent top four teams in Toronto, Florida, Tampa Bay, and Boston. But now, teams like the Detroit Red Wings and the Ottawa Senators feel that they are ready to join that race too. A maximum of five teams are allowed to advance from one division and with all the strong teams in the Atlantic, there aren’t enough spots for everyone in the postseason.
In the last seven years of competing in the Atlantic Division, the Leafs’ best finish is second place. In one of those seasons, they were able to advance to the second round. With a division as tight as this one, it’s vital to set up an ideal playoff matchup. In this playoff format, the best way to do that is to win the division and get one of the two wild card teams for the first round of the playoffs.
With the new culture around the team, they’ll be looking to do just that. That’ll give the Leafs a better chance and having a deeper run in the playoffs, and a chance at the Cup.
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
