I think the Leafs get to the final before the Islanders are back in the playoffs BUT I don't think the Islanders are going to be all that bad for too long.

Leafs in the finals haven't happen in 50 years.

So you're saying the Leafs make the final soon?

That's a tricky one. I feel like the Leafs though will probably be in the final before the Islanders are in the playoffs. It could be either though. Sure, it's fun to joke about the Leafs, but realistically i think they have a chance to win the cup soon.

Getting to the Cup Final is a much more difficult task to complete than making the playoffs. Yeah, the Islanders just lost Tavares. We all know how big a blow that is. But it's not like the Islanders are totally screwed. Barzal is a 1C already and is only going to get better. He can be a 90 point player in a few years easy. They have, in my opinion, the most underrated defenseman in the league in Nick Leddy. They've got Ryan Pulock who looks like he can be a mini Shea Weber on the back end as well. Bailey is around long term, plus they've got Bellows, Wahlstrom and Dobson coming in the next year or two. If Lee and/or Eberle decide to walk, then the story changes a little bit. Yeah, they need a goalie. But there are still foundational pieces for them to make the playoffs.


Yet I still picked Toronto going to the Finals. They have amazing depth up the middle, some dynamic wing scorers, and high end goaltending. They need another defenseman, but it doesn't have to be a high end, sexy name. It can be a guy to slide in on the second or third pairing and eat some valuable minutes for them. They're in a position where they can almost do a "defense by committee" type system where they roll three quality pairings for closer to equal minutes than what usually occurs. I see them being very close to Tampa right now.


The East will be a fascinating race to watch and Toronto should be right in the thick of it. They're the one team in the league that may legitimately be able to outscore most of their problems.

You know I'm a Leaf fan, but I'm still not sure how adding Tavares vaults the Leaf to the Finals. Gotta win two rounds against Tampa and Boston and then the team that comes out of the Metro,
Of course it just isn't Tavares, it's the expectation and need of Mattews, Marner, Dermot, Liljegren to become excellent NHLers.
Be kinda neat in five years if the Leafs and Isles met in the Eastern Conference Final
PS. I voted Isles.

It doesn't matter how good you are on paper, you can never guarantee you'll do well in the playoffs. This team may win the Presidents' trophy next year, and you know how that always works out.

I think they are definitely propelled into top contenders going into next season. I think its more likely the Leafs get to the final round before the Isle make the playoffs.

I figured this was a fun conversation. Something the round table on the networks would chatter about.