Toronto Maple Leafs
As long as water is wet and the sky is blue, the Toronto Maple Leafs are favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the Stanley Cup Finals. Finally, after making it past the first round, Toronto can go into a season without that hurdle in their minds. Toronto made some of the better moves in the offseason, going with established veterans on one-year deals. After adding Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, and John Klingberg, Toronto is primed for a real run next season.
Regardless of the acquisitions, Toronto already had a great team. The usual suspects are still in town. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander understand what’s at stake. That’s their future in Toronto. After this season, a couple of the “Core Four” could be shipped out, and it almost happened this Summer.
Toronto’s biggest question, like most teams, is goaltending. They’ve been linked to every goalie on the trade market and know an upgrade might be the missing piece. Even without a dominant netminder, the Leafs are a formidable foe in the Devils Cup dreams.
Given how last season played out for both these teams and how both games were played at Prudential Center, this is a matchup both fanbases will clamor for.