Leafs fans should be ecstatic after major turnaround in the Atlantic division

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Tom Banks
August 14, 2023 (9:28 PM)

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The Toronto Maple Leafs core four finally got out of the first round a season ago, and now after some big moves on their team and around the Atlantic Division, this could be a team ready for the final, massive leap in 2023-24.

Boston's big three

After years of terrorizing everyone in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Bruins have now seen officially the departure of Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara and David Krejci, three key pieces of their very successful run in the 21st century.

While David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand make up a key group for the future, it's safe to say that Boston will take a major step back next season with three key players and more specifically leaders now gone, and this is good for the Maple Leafs, especially when memories like this come to mind.

Other top competition

Sure, the Ottawa Senators, Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres are all on the rise, but the only legitimate competition beyond Boston in the Atlantic are the Tampa Bay Lightning, and after a long run of success, they may be regressing too.

The team lost key players over the last few years, and after beating them in the first-round a season ago, Toronto, with the reinforcements of Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, Matthew Knies, John Klingberg, Jake McCabe and others can now look to establish themselves atop the Atlantic Division.

The ultimate goal

The ultimate goal for everyone in the NHL is to win the Stanley Cup, and after facing Tampa Bay in the first round over the past two years, having these two teams falling off will benefit Toronto, as they have a good chance to make a push for the division crown, opening up a Wild Card team in the first round.

Now, the pressure is even more on the shoulders of Toronto players, as they have a chance to make a genuine push in the regular season to finally break their Stanley Cup drought, and with the clear cut best team in the division, things are looking up for the Maple Leafs.