BRAMPTON, Ontario — John Tavares said that the Toronto Maple Leafs know that a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs may not be as easy frontiereasy-up-for-obtained in the Atlantic Division this season as it has in the past.
“Yes, 100 percent (the competition is tougher),” the Maple Leafs captain said Wednesday at Hockey Night In Brampton, a charity game that raised $1 million for a new hospital for William Osler. Health System. “The steps Detroit, Buffalo and Ottawa have taken, the steps they’ve taken, you’ve seen the talent they’ve developed and the season some of their guys had (last year) and the way their teams and the challenges they present, they. obviously feel like they’re ready to start fighting and become playoff teams. There’s no doubt it’s going to continue to get tougher, so know- We are up to that challenge and know what lies ahead.
The Maple Leafs finished last season with 111 points, second in the Atlantic Division behind the Boston Bruins (135 points). Toronto leads the Tampa Bay Lightning by 13 points, the Florida Panthers by 19 points, and the Buffalo Sabers by 20 points. The Panthers are the second wild card in the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
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However, the Ottawa Senators finished with 86 points last season, an improvement of 13 points from 2021-22, and added goalie Joonas Korpisalo and beyond Vladimir Tarasenko of free will. The Detroit Red Wings added a forward Alex DeBrincat and defenses Shayne Gostisbehere and Jeff Petry, and so on. The Sabers improved by 16 points and did not qualify for the playoffs by one point.
In the 2021-22 season, the Maple Leafs, Lightning, Bruins and Panthers also each made the playoffs from the Atlantic Division. At that time, Toronto had a 40-point lead over the fifth-place Sabres, who finished with 75 points.
But that gap is closing.
“We really respect what they bring to the table, but we have to be ready and we expect a lot of ourselves and have high expectations to still be one of the top teams if not the top team in our division,” said said Tavares. “That’s always the goal when you start the year and I think with the caliber of players we have and the depth we have, we still want to be there but we know the competition is getting tougher.”
The Maple Leafs will look different when they open this season on October 11 against the Montreal Canadiens, who are missing six players — forward Michael Bunting, Noel Acciari, Alexander Kerfoot and Ryan O’Reillyand defenses Luke Schenn and Justin Holl — who were all in the lineup when the Panthers eliminated them in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Second Round.
However, general manager Brad Treliving, who was hired on May 31 to replace Kyle Dubas, has been active, adding forwards. Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reavesas well as defenseman John Klingberg.
Domi has started participating in informal skates at Toronto’s practice facility and Tavares said he’s doing his best to talk to all the new players before training camp.
“I’m very happy with the progress to this point and excited about the last few weeks here before we get ready for real,” Tavares said. “I’m excited for another journey. Obviously there are a lot of changes in the team but also a lot of familiarity so I’m just excited for the new year, new journey and to continue this thing.”