Has anybody else noticed that if Chicago and Winnipeg start winning, and Buffalo and Montreal overtake Toronto, the Maple Leafs get their 2020 first-round pick back?

It would still depend on the draft lottery. and its not like TOR just gets a 1st round pick back for free, they just swap their 2021 1st rounder for the 2020 1st rounder

Imagine the earthquake if Toronto misses the playoffs, ends up in 13th or 14th place, and then wins the third-place lottery! What a hoot!

And they would replace one if not both of my crummy teams.

everyone would say its rigged lol

I just think it's a hilarious scenario. And imagine how frosted Carolina would be, watching their juicy 13 or 14 overall transform into a 2021 first!

If the Leafs miss the playoffs this season....a very realistic possibility, no reason to believe the Leafs won't miss the following season either.

Oh ye of little faith -- I have confidence that once finally free of his (self-created) cap problems, Dubas will be able to construct a playoff team next off-season.

Well I think so too. Leaf defence will be better next year without Barrie and Ceci. Leafs have done not played with one of top Dman all season. Dermot, Muzzin and Reilly have all be on LTIR.
Lots of injured forwards...Tavares, Marner, Hyman MIkheyvov, Johnson, Moore. All teams have injuries but Leaf have had more than their share season.
Leafs will have NHL coaching for the whole season, and I imagine Keefe will be better once he had almost a year of NHL experience going into next season.

And you'll have Liljegren and Sandin getting their feet wet (probably the wrong metaphor for hockey), plus the chance to do a better job getting a backup goalie.

You're right but if the Leafs if are depending on Sandin and Liljegren to be in the top six...partly due to cap reasons, it better be more than getting feet wet, they better be NHL competent starting game one

which when i said in the offseason nylander is pretty much gone, this is the reason. there is no balance to the team. way too much cap taken up by the forward group. Its a talented group dont get me wrong but you still gotta keep the puck out of your own net. If they dont spend on the defense a little bit this team is going to be perennial middlers.