Toronto Maple Leafs 2019 NHL Predictions and Hockey Betting Odds
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas said his club would lock up its quartet of superstar forwards of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares and then went out and did just that. Then he added another top-four defenceman in Tyson Barrie and some veteran leadership to help this team get over the hump. Clearly, the time is now for the Leafs. They’re built to win the Stanley Cup and oddsmakers and bettors alike are buying into their chances. Toronto is at +800 to win their first title since 1967, second only to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Toronto Maple Leafs Acquisitions and Moves
Something had to give as the Leafs struggled to sign Marner and stay under the cap. So Nazem Kadri, Jake Gardiner,
Nikita Zaitsev, Connor Brown, Tyler Ennis, and Ron Hainsey are all wearing different jerseys this year. Meanwhile, Toronto beefed up with the additions of Barrie and Alexander Kerfoot in the Kadri deal, and also welcome in defenceman Codi Ceci, as well as veteran Jason Spezza. Essentially, the top portion of the forward group is intact and the club hopes Barrie and Ceci will mesh well with the likes of Morgan Rielly and be a major upgrade on the blue line . Michael Hutchinson looks to be the new backup for Frederik Andersen between the pipes.
Toronto Maple Leafs 2019 NHL Schedule
The Leafs kick off their 2019 NHL schedule with a home game against Ottawa on Opening Night, visit Columbus on Friday, before hosting the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. One thing to keep and eye on is that Toronto plays eight different back-to-backs in the first month of the season, which means Hutchinson is going to get a good look in goal. The Leafs then have six straight road games in the middle of November, although none of those is a back-to-back situation. Toronto gets a nice break with its bye early in the New Year to recharge the batteries from Jan. 19-26. Heading down the stretch the Buds have four games on the road before closing out the season home to the Detroit Red Wings and Habs.
Toronto Maple Leafs 2019 NHL Odds
No team is seeing more action on the NHL futures board than the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bettors can’t get enough of them. Their season point total over/under is pegged at a lofty 103.5 and they’re set at +275 to win the Atlantic Division. As far as player props go, Auston Matthews is getting some love to win the Hart Trophy at +1700 and he’ll also be a popular bet when Rocket Richard Trophy odds go live. Leafs supporters are going to have to pay to play their team at home, but should find some more reasonable lines on the road. Still, Toronto was just 39-50 on the puckline spread last year and this is a team won’t get any favours from oddsmakers this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs 2019 Season Prediction
There’s a lot to like about this Leafs team. With Marner, Matthews, Nylander and Tavares all getting the benefit of training camp this squad should fill the net. Barrie is probably a better fit on the blue line than Gardiner was, although it’ll be interesting to see how he plays in the Toronto fishbowl. Expectations couldn’t be much higher for this team, but it is worth noting that there’s more pressure on this group to perform again this season. Will Mike Babcock’s no-nonsense style hit the right chord with a team that continues to find ways to lose in the post-season? Will it mature now that all the big stars don’t have to worry about contracts? Toronto’s odds to make the playoffs are at -632 and it would take a number of disasters to keep this club out of the playoffs. It remains to be seen if the Buds are a better playoff team than they were last year, but if they can stay healthy and add some grit at the trade deadline a deep run could be in the cards.