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After another disappointingly early exit in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Toronto Maple Leafs are once again one of the NHL's premier teams in 2024-25. The Leafs are 30-17-2 as of January 23, good for first place in the Atlantic Division and just seven points back of the Washington Capitals in the President's Trophy race.
The usual suspects are continuing to lead the way; Mitch Marner is on pace for a career year, and he's leading the team with 67 points in just 49 games. William Nylander is up to 28 goals and 50 points in 49 games, while Auston Matthews — who continues to battle a lingering ailment — is at 38 points in 34 games. Before his injury, John Tavares had also amassed 42 of his own in 44 games.
Although there is a ton of parity in the NHL today, and it wouldn't be at all surprising if the Leafs were again ousted in Round 1, Craig Berube's team has a couple of key differentiators compared to previous seasons — not to mention a new head coach. One of them is goaltending; Anthony Stolarz was one of the league's best netminders before he went down with injury, and Joseph Woll has been excellent in his absence as of late.
As well, the addition of Chris Tanev to the blue line cannot be overstated. The shot blocking specialist has played a key defensive role for a team that has notoriously struggled defensively, and he will be a critical piece of the puzzle come playoff time.
Maple Leafs looking to finally overcome playoff futility
Toronto has won just a single playoff round since 2004, defeating the three-time Eastern Conference champion Tampa Bay Lighting in a hard-fought six-game series in 2023. But the Leafs were ousted by the Florida Panthers in the second round, who went on to lose to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
The Maple Leafs were looking to build on the series win in 2023-24, and were oh-so-close to finally exorcising the demons that are the Boston Bruins. But David Pastrnak scored the overtime winner in Game 7 at TD Garden, spelling another Round 1 exit for the Original Six franchise.
Better defensive play and improved goaltending has certainly changed the outlook of this roster, and breakout seasons from Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann have helped to propel the Leafs to the top of the conference. But this team can certainly get even better, and general manager Brad Treliving is already working the phones to bring another effective player or two to Toronto.
Treliving and the front office could try to add another defenseman to improve the depth on the blue line, and although Montreal Canadiens' David Savard has been linked to the Leafs, that is looking unlikely.
David Savard was a target, but that's probably off the table
When the Canadiens acquired a right-shot defenseman who can play in the top-four in Alexandre Carrier earlier this season, it all but signalled that the 34-year-old — and pending UFA — would be on the move. However, Montreal is on a tear, with 13 wins in 17 tries dating back to December 17.
For that reason, Habs GM Kent Hughes might be hesitant to move Savard, who would like to stay in Quebec at least until the end of the 2024-25 season. And if the front office does decide to move him, it probably wouldn't be to one of the franchise's biggest and oldest rivals. Still, The Athletic's Chris Johnston sees a world where Savard to Toronto would make sense.
“Despite making significant strides on the defensive side of the puck this season, the Leafs still have some question marks,” wrote Johnston at the end of December. “Summer signing Jani Hakanpää has only been healthy enough to play two NHL games this season because of lingering knee issues, and as good of a story as Conor Timmins’ re-emergence has been, he may not be ideally suited for what the team wants to get out of its third pairing come playoff time. As an added bonus, Savard has playoff pedigree and would give Toronto a level of depth at the position usually needed to go on a long run. He might even slide alongside Morgan Rielly and give them better balance from top to bottom.”
Despite Johnston's reporting, what Treliving and the front office should really be looking for is a high-energy depth forward who can score. And there might be no better option on the market than the Seattle Kraken's Yanni Gourde.
Leafs should be working hard to acquire Yanni Gourde
There have been rumblings around the league that Kraken general manager Ron Francis is open for business ahead of the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline. Seattle is 21-24-3 and has fallen to six points back of the final wildcard berth in the Western Conference.
A couple of players who call the Emerald City home could be getting a change of scenery between now and March 7, and the 33-year-old Gourde is right at the top of the list. The veteran is currently playing out the final season of a six-year contract he signed back in 2018 as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Although there is a route where the Kraken re-sign Gourde — as they did last season with Jordan Eberle instead of trading him — the most likely outcome is that the two-time Stanley Cup champion gets moved. And you can never have too many winners in the lineup come playoff time.
Here's what The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun had to say about a potential Gourde-Leafs partnership.
“If indeed Gourde is moved, my matchmaking crystal ball has him landing with Toronto because he fits the criteria of what the Leafs need as far as a third-line center upgrade. He won two Stanley Cup championships with the Lightning and plays the kind of game that translates come playoff time. He’s got a modified no-trade, but my understanding is he would have no issue with a move to the Leafs. And he’s the kind of player general manager Brad Treliving appreciates — not shying away from the rough-and-tumble hockey played in playoffs.”
Gourde is a strong third-line player who could play center or move to the wing if necessary, and he would bring a new look to Toronto's bottom-six. In the quest to finally have some sustained playoff success, Treliving should at least pick up the phone and see how much it would cost to bring the experienced postseason performer to Southwestern Ontario.
