The Toronto Maple Leafs will be seen as contenders this season. Whether they can take the next step and find success in the playoffs remains to be seen, but the organization is going into the 2024-25 campaign with a sense they can jump that hurdle, even with most of the same forward core from a year before. To say a retool isn’t on their mind is putting it mildly.
But, what happens if the Leafs get out of the starting blocks slowly? What if key stars take a bit of a step back or their newly-formed blue line doesn’t do what Brad Treliving and the front office hoped it would? What if the goaltending tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll isn’t experienced enough to keep pace? Essentially, what if the Shanaplan is finally exposed and the franchise is forced to make a change in a market where results mean almost everything?