Maybe Next Year
In September, before the start of the 2024 - 25 NHL season, the Vegas bookies named the Maple Leafs to be 8th in their selection process for winning the Stanley Cup. I regrettably had to admit that "Vegas is rarely wrong ... it's how they managed to build all those skyscrapers on The Strip". I'm not a hockey expert and have a lengthy record of not being able to handicap winners, but I'm a die-hard, card-caring member of Leaf Nation, so I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. If you decide to proceed to read my summary of this year's Leafs, and you have an interest, please include your thoughts and comments at the end. In my September pre-season essay, I wondered about the choice of the Leafs for their new captain, Auston Matthews. I wondered if his appointment would be too much for him to handle in this market, particularly because he seems to struggle in front of cameras, trying to defend his mates and dissect the details of a just-played game. Last ye...