Tavares, Maple Leafs expect tougher challenge in Atlantic Division

BRAMPTON, Ontario -- John Tavares said the Toronto Maple Leafs know a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs may not be as easy to come by in the Atlantic Division this season as it has been in the past.

"Yeah, 100 percent (the competition will be more difficult)," the Maple Leafs captain said Wednesday at Hockey Night In Brampton, a charity game which raised $1 million towards a new hospital for the William Osler Health System. "The steps that Detroit, Buffalo and Ottawa, the steps they are taking, you see the talent they are developing and the season some of their guys have had (last year) and the way their teams are growing and the challenges they present, they obviously feel they are ready to start contending and be playoff teams. There is no doubt it's only going to continue to get harder and harder, so we are aware of that challenge and know what's ahead."

The Maple Leafs finished last season with 111 points, second in the Atlantic Division behind the Boston Bruins (135 points). Toronto was 13 points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning, 19 points ahead of the Florida Panthers, and 20 points ahead of the Buffalo Sabres. The Panthers were the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

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However, the Ottawa Senators finished with 86 points last season, a 13-point improvement from 2021-22, and added goalie Joonas Korpisalo and forward Vladimir Tarasenko in free agency. The Detroit Red Wings added forwards Alex DeBrincat and defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Jeff Petry, among others. The Sabres improved by 16 points and missed qualifying for the playoffs by one point.

During the 2021-22 season, the Maple Leafs, Lightning, Bruins and Panthers also each made the playoffs from the Atlantic Division. That season, Toronto was 40 points ahead of the fifth-place Sabres, who finished with 75 points.

But that gap is closing.

"We certainly respect what they bring to the table, but we have to be prepared and we expect a lot of ourselves and have high expectations to still be one of the top teams if not the top team in our division," Tavares said. "That's always the goal when you start the year and I think with the caliber of players we have and the depth we have, we still want to be right there but we know the competition is only getting tougher."

The Maple Leafs will look different when they begin this season on Oct. 11 against the Montreal Canadiens, having lost six players -- forwards Michael Bunting, Noel Acciari, Alexander Kerfoot and Ryan O'Reilly, and defensemen Luke Schenn and Justin Holl -- who were all in the lineup when they were eliminated by the Panthers in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Second Round.

However, general manager Brad Treliving, who was hired on May 31 to replace Kyle Dubas, has been active, adding forwards Max Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reaves, as well as defenseman John Klingberg.

Domi has already begun participating in informal skates at Toronto's practice facility and Tavares said that he has been doing his best to communicate with all of the new players in advance of training camp.

"I'm really happy with progress to this point and excited about the last few weeks here before we gear up for real," Tavares said. "I'm excited for another journey. Obviously there's been a lot of changes with the team but a lot of familiarity as well so I'm just excited for that new year, new journey and to get this thing going."