Maple Leafs Defensive Depth X-Factor Against Panthers

This is the year the Toronto Maple Leafs finally shed their postseason demons, right? After eliminating the Ottawa Senators in the first round, they face the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers.

The Maple Leafs enter their second-round series against the Panthers with a distinct advantage. Toronto's defense is playing like a well-oiled machine, and the depth of their blue line could be the x-factor in the second round.

Defensive depth has been an issue for the Maple Leafs over the past few postseasons. The Core Four of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner, and John Tavares is off and running in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but it's the contributions across all three defensive pairings that is fueling their championship pursuit.

It stars with the play of top pairing Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev. The veteran duo has been excellent at 5-on-5. According to MoneyPuck's 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs data, they've been on the ice for three goals for and two goals against in nearly 93 even-strength minutes. Maple Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube has endless trust in this pair, and they are rewarding that trust with excellent play entering the second round.

Berube's also pulled the right strings by pairing Morgan Reilly with Brandon Carlo. Their expected goals figure of 52.8% leads the Leafs' defensive pairs in the playoffs. Reilly has two goals and three points through the first six postseason games, and Carlo's stay-at-home presence has been the ideal complement to the Leafs' top puck-mover.

The third pairing is where the real difference could come. Simon Benoit and Oliver Ekman-Larsson have combined to become a formidable pairing. Benoit came up huge in the first round with a game-winning overtime goal and finished with two points in six games. Ekman-Larsson, who won the Stanley Cup last year with the Panthers, has re-found his offensive touch with Toronto and scored two goals already in the postseason.

What also stood out was how evenly distributed the minutes were among the three pairs in the opening round. McCabe and Tanev have the highest average ice time, but they've played just 10 more minutes than the third pairing of Benoit and Ekman-Larsson. That flexibility is a threat to the Panthers, and it could be the x-factor in what's shaping up to be a classic second-round series.