It’s the year every year, right? Every April, we Torontonians share the collective delusion that the Stanley Cup (no, not that one) is coming home after many, many decades away. For years, the Leafs were plagued with a curse: failing (often miserably, publicly, unbelievably) to make the second round of the playoffs.

The heartbreak Maple Leafs die-hards experienced seeing the Leafs’ 4-1 lead miraculously disappear in a matter of minutes in Game 7 is seared in every fan’s memory. Flash forward a handful of years to 2019 where the Leafs were lambasted 5-1 in another Game 7 by the Bruins, ensuring the curse stayed intact. I remind us of these near-victories into total collapses because this year, the Leafs begin their playoffs journey by facing off against the Bruins on Saturday. 

Whether you follow all the games and know the stats religiously or you’re more of a playoff bandwagoner or legacy Leafs fan, here’s your guide to the Maple Leafs before the NHL playoff season begins on Saturday.

The basics

The first round series will see the Toronto Maple Leafs face off against the Boston Bruins. If that sounds familiar, that’s because it is: the Leafs versus the Bruins is a storied part of NHL playoff history, since they’ve faced each other 16 times in the postseason, including three times in the past 11 years. Their most recent encounter was in the first round of the 2019 playoff season — the Bruins won it in seven games and went on to lose in the Stanley Cup Final.

The first game of the series is happening on Saturday at 8 p.m., where Boston will get the home-ice advantage. The following games in the series will take place on April 22, April 24 and April 27, along with April 30, May 2 and May 4 depending on how the match-ups go.

Records don’t matter

A bit of a generalization, sure, because records do matter for dictating who you’re playing in the post-season, but it doesn’t dictate how you’ll play or the strength of your team once you reach that next stage. The Leafs haven’t missed the playoffs since 2016, and apart from last year’s triumph, they’ve achieved the same result for nearly the past two decades.

Though their record has regressed over the last two years — 56 wins in 2022, 50 in 2023, and 46 in 2024 — they’ve prioritized playing well. Wouldn’t you want to win every game? And yes, this is true, but what gets you further in the post-season is learning how to win: winning close games, grittier games as opposed to simply winning. This means meeting teams with aggressive playing styles with that same energy, rather than shying away or wilting as they’ve done in the past. This also means that they’ve let in more goals (261 versus last year’s 220), which is a small price to pay when you’re trying to build a stronger team that plays better together.

The Maple Leafs are entering the playoff season on a four-game losing streak. Some have attributed these losses to Auston Matthews’ hunt for 70 goals, calling it a distraction. Distraction or not, Matthews has played characteristically well, coming in just one goal shy of 70 goals this season. Mitch Marner is back from injury on an upswing.

Ultimately, history proves that records mean very little: of the 36 Presidents’ Trophy winners, an award presented to the team with the most points at the end of the regular season, only eight have gone on to win the Stanley Cup. The regular season is about how you win, building that muscle so that when the pressure mounts in the post-season, the team is equipped to win.

Where they can shine

What sets this team apart from previous years is depth. Last summer, Leafs’ management made some indicative signings that prove where their priorities lie. With the additions of Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi, both of whom have shown that they thrive in the post-season, management has displayed a commitment to building strong players around their core.

In a team sport like hockey, you can’t rely on stars to push you through until the end: your third and fourth lines need to be just as productive as your first and second. This depth extends to their defense with Joel Edmunson, as well as their goal-tending through great performances from Joseph Woll and Martin Jones. The Bruins are a very good team that has proven time and time again that they perform well under pressure.

Breaking the curse by making the second round in the playoff season, the question remains: what is the ceiling on the Maple Leafs’ performance? Is this the year?