NHL analyst reveals why the Maple Leafs will enjoy a successful 2024-25 season
Former Toronto Maple Leaf and NHL analyst believes the Leafs will have success in the playoffs for a very specific reason after a pair of off-season moves.
Many believe that the Leafs vastly improved their defense group for at least the next couple of seasons with the additions of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Chris Tanev.
Although the last few years of their contracts (4x$3.5M and 6x$4.5M) aren't likely to look too flaffering, the Leafs will have some stability on the blueline for at least the next couple of seasons. The additions of Tanev and OEL are vast upgrades over what they had on the blueline last season and former Leaf and NHL analyst Eddie Olczyk has become a big believer of the blue and white thanks to those two moves.
"I really like what's happened on the back end," said Olczyk on Leafs Morning Take. "Bertuzzi is a tough one, just a little bit of a different look, a little bit of a different dimension up front from a forwards point of view, but some other guys are going to get an opportunity to step up. But I like the mindset of what they've done on the back end. Getting some experience, getting a guy like obviously with Tanev and OEL there. Obviously Ekman-Larsson winning last year, but I think Tanev is a winner. He's the type of guy you need to have on your team...You can go the last 10 Stanley Cups and go everybody's got a guy like Chris Tanev...I'm not saying the same skill level or skating-wise, I'm just saying you need to have a different piece of the puzzle if you're going to have success and win. I really like what they've done. I'm really bullish on the Leafs for the first time in a long time."
As Olczyk noted, teams need players like Tanev to win and the Leafs, after a long time, finally have a stable, defensive partner in him to play with Morgan Rielly. Having him play with Rielly could lead to us seeing the best version of Rielly we have ever seen now that he knows he doesn't have to do it all at both ends of the ice.
How new head coach Craig Berube intends to deploy both Ekman-Larsson and Tanev remains to be seen, but it would not be surprising to see Rielly lose some minutes on both the penalty kill and power play to both to allow him to focus more on the aspects of his game he excels at.
Source: PuckPedia
Toronto Maple Leafs roster
| POLL |
AOUT 7 | 720 ANSWERS NHL analyst reveals why the Maple Leafs will enjoy a successful 2024-25 season Where will the Leafs finish in the Atlantic Division? |
| First | 207 | 28.8 % |
| Second | 325 | 45.1 % |
| Third | 145 | 20.1 % |
| Miss playoffs | 43 | 6 % |
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