The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Dallas Stars 5-4 on Wednesday night, improving their record to 26-15-8 and giving them 60 points, moving ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for third in the Atlantic Division.
On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the Maple Leafs’ big win and whether this team is a Stanley Cup contender, of if they’re one, or multiple, pieces away from being able to call themselves that.
Tyler Yaremchuk: What stands out to me is that the power play went three-for-three, the big guns did all the scoring, and that sums up their season, doesn’t it? I look at this team, and fifth on their team in scoring is Calle Jarnkrok. Some offseason bets like Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi aren’t working.
The fans left last night happy with the win, but I think they’re more than a piece away from contending in the East.
Frank Seravalli: Oh they’re multiple pieces away. They have no second-round picks until 2027 and they don’t have a first-round pick in 2025. I think General Manager Brad Treliving wants to add to this group, but since he’s light on assets, to me, the only way he moves the first-round pick is if he gets multiple pieces in return.
If you look at their big four, this team is where they are on the back of those players. They deserve to have more support, they need more trust in their bottom-six from their coaching staff, and they need multiple pieces on their back-end to be considered a true Stanley Cup contender. This is not the same team that’s torn through regular seasons like the last few years, this is a team that’s scuffling, and even last night, there’s something that tells you that there’s something off with this group.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…
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