3 Maple Leafs-Senators bold predictions for 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Maple Leafs’ playoff struggles have been well documented since Tavares joined the team in 2018. Whether it’s forcing a Game 7 and collapsing on the road like last year, or losing a 3-1 lead to a far worse team like they did in 2021, they have lost in every way. Mitch Marner has been the target of many fans’ ire during the drought, with just 11 goals in 57 games. He will put all of that to bed in this series, leading the Maple Leafs in scoring.

Marner is fresh off his first 100-point season, leading the Maple Leafs with 75 assists and 102 points. Carrying the pressure of a Toronto playoff series has always been tough for the Ontario native, but he needs to stop that storyline. He may not get the Mikko Rantanen-type payday if he disappears yet again in the spring.

Marner is too talented a player to have this playoff black cloud hanging over his head. If he is going to stay in Toronto, smashing the playoff questions before getting a massive payday would be helpful. If he is leaving, proving himself in April will help set a high watermark for wingers.

Brady Tkachuk thrives in a playoff environment

The Senators last made the playoffs in 2017 with star players Mark Stone, Erik Karlsson, and JG Pageau. They traded all of their valuable assets in the following years, accumulating draft picks to build their core. This offseason, they added Linus Ullmark to the fold and took off. The Senators are led by Brady Tkachuk, who will be a thorn in the side of the Maple Leafs all series long.

Tkachuk came to the NHL straight out of junior hockey, so fans did not get to see him play in the playoffs in college or the AHL. His first six years in the league did not end in the playoffs. So when he suited up for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February, it was a new feeling for him. He thrived, scoring massive goals all tournament for the Americans.

Tkachuk will lead the Senators in scoring in this series. He led the team with 29 goals in the regular season and will continue to score in the postseason. In three games against the Maple Leafs this year, he did not score. But that trend will stop in the playoffs.

The Maple Leafs will beat the Senators in seven games

On paper, the Maple Leafs are far better than the Senators. They finished 11 points ahead of their provincial rivals this season, have playoff experience, and have a Stanley Cup-winning coach. Even with their issues in the first round in previous years, it’s hard to pick against the Maple Leafs. The Senators will force Game 7, because Toronto always plays in Game 7, but they will win it on home ice.

This would be one of the least surprising upsets of the first round because of Toronto’s history. If it does get to Game 7, the air will be heavy in that building for the deciding game. With the era potentially ending this summer, they have to make a deep run. This will be the year the Maple Leafs make a playoff run.