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The Toronto Maple Leafs clinch first place in the Atlantic Division

Originally posted on 6IX ON ICE | By Anthony William | Last updated Apr 15, 2025 11:26 PM ET

On Tuesday, April 15th, the Toronto Maple Leafs clinched first place in the Atlantic Division for the first time after beating the Buffalo Sabres 4–0. With the win, the Leafs final game of the regular season is meaningless, hopefully earning the stars some rest before Game 1 of the playoffs.

That first playoff game will come against the Ottawa Senators, meaning the Battle of Ontario is back on the menu. This should give Leafs Nation some hope, as these Sens are probably the weakest first-round opponent we’ve seen in this era of Toronto hockey.

Leafs get a couple things across the line, Marner to 100 pts, Matthews to 400gs, and they win the Atlantic Division. The year of not falling short?
— Justin Bourne (@jtbourne) April 16, 2025

First Time?

The Maple Leafs have only won six division titles in franchise history. Other than the 2020-21 pandemic season, the Maple Leafs have not won a division title in the Auston Matthews era. The closest the Maple Leafs came to clinching a division title was in the 2021-22 season, where they were seven points behind the Florida Panthers. The last time Toronto won their division in a full season was in 1999-00.

It’s surprising that it’s taken the Maple Leafs this long to win a division title, especially with the superstar talent on this roster. However, the new all-time leading goal scorer, Alexander Ovechkin, did not win a Stanley Cup until he was 33 years old. Sometimes, rosters take a while to mesh.

Is this time different?

With the addition of Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline, the Maple Leafs defence is the strongest it’s been in many years. The forward group has also bought into head coach Craig Berube’s playoff-style game plan.

Overall, this is probably the strongest Maple Leafs’ roster we have seen in decades. However, we will find out in the next couple of weeks whether this team will go deep in the playoffs or end up with a ninth disappointing first-round exit. Regardless, an Atlantic Division title does give some confidence.

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This article first appeared on 6IX ON ICE and was syndicated with permission.

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