BREAKING: Toronto maple leafs hit with unexpected discouraging news ahead of playoff ambitions and beyond

‘Not good enough to win this year’ – NHL analyst assesses Toronto Maple Leafs playoff aspirations and beyond

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Stanley Cup drought won’t end anytime soon, according to Elliott Friedman. The NHL analyst talked about the Leafs’ chances of continuing to reclaim the crown this season, but he doesn’t like their chances. On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said:

“I think Toronto is thinking about the big picture. I don’t think it will happen again this year and I’m thinking about where to go. “I wonder if they’re going to say we’re not good enough as an organization to win this year.”

Toronto Maple Leafs fans hope not, but if not, they can at least have a long-term plan. Due to defensive issues, especially goaltending, it seems unlikely that the Stanley Cup will end this season. The Maple Leafs, who finished second in the Atlantic Division last season with 111 points, lost to the last-place Florida Panthers in the second round of the playoffs.

If you truly believe the Leafs can’t win this year, continuing to build for next season would be a logical step. With the NHL trade deadline set for March 8, activity on the Toronto trade market reflects what they’re doing.

The salary line and big deals are critical to the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs

Now that the NHL’s salary cap rules are in place, the contracts of star players are being scrutinized more closely than ever. Having the right players at the right time is essential to building a winning team, and sometimes that means parting ways with good players to build a better team in the future.

The Leafs handed William Nylander an eight-year, NHL-record $13 million contract. This contract will see him spend half of the next decade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Combine that with massive deals from teammates Auston Mathews and Mitch Marner, and the trio makes up a large portion of the team’s payroll. This leaves the Leafs with less cap space, making signing key depth players a bit more difficult. Toronto, on the other hand, locked up three players who are critical for the future, so they will try to build around them.

The Leafs sit in third place in the Atlantic with a 43-22-13 record and will try to string together a string of good performances to make the playoffs. Anything is possible here, and the long wait for another Stanley Cup may be over.