NHL Team Preview: Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the six original franchises in the National Hockey League, and they continue to be one of the most popular. Toronto was one of the best teams in the NHL during the regular season a year ago, but that didn’t translate into any postseason success.

Toronto has struggled to find a winning formula in the playoffs for years, and they are looking to breakthrough finally. There are a few teams in the league with a roster as talented as the one in Toronto, but that talent can only go so far. 

The NHL betting lines will favor Toronto being one of the better teams in the league yet again, and that should be the case. All eyes will be on the Maple Leafs to deliver in the playoffs, which hasn’t been done in a while. 

Big Additions

Toronto wasn’t a team that needed to make any big additions to the roster, but they were still pretty active in the offseason. The Maple Leafs will have several new players to introduce to the lineup, including in the blue paint.

Petr Mrazek was brought over from the Carolina Hurricanes, and he is expected to play a significant role in the goaltending rotation this season. David Kampf and Michael Bunting are two other players that should see significant usage this season in Toronto. 

Impactful Subtractions

The most impactful subtraction that will affect Toronto this season is losing goaltender Frederik Andersen. Andersen saw his playing time reduced in the postseason in 2021, but he has been an important piece of the roster. 

Toronto will also enter the 2021-22 season without Joe Thornton, which will affect the locker room and the ice. Thornton was brought in to provide some leadership, but the Maple Leafs will move forward without him. 

The big guns are still there in Toronto, but these moves could affect the team, especially during a grueling regular season. 

Key Players

The Maple Leafs have a core of four players that set the tone for the team and will play a key role in helping Toronto win a playoff series. Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner get much attention, but John Tavares and William Nylander are just as important.

Marner led the Maple Leafs in scoring a season ago, but that could easily be Matthews leading the team this season. All four players have been a part of some great teams in Toronto, but they have also been blamed for the postseason struggles. 

Online Sports Betting: Toronto Maple Leafs

If you are looking to do some online sports betting on the Toronto Maple Leafs, you will find plenty of options available to you. You can bet on the Maple Leafs throughout the regular season, but you can also find NHL betting lines for them now.

The Toronto Maple Leafs compete in the Atlantic Division, which will make winning that division difficult. Toronto currently has odds set at +210 to win the Atlantic with the Tampa Bay Lightning as the favorite.

Tampa Bay is also the favorite to win the Eastern Conference at +320, and the Maple Leafs are next at +600. Oddsmakers view this as a two-team race to win the East, but other teams could also join the mix.

Toronto currently has odds set at +1100 to win the Stanley Cup in 2021-22. This is arguably the toughest trophy to win in sports, but the oddsmakers are giving the Maple Leafs a decent shot at least.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.