Leafs Stanley Cup Odds at +1200 After Marner Signs Six-Year Extension

• The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Mitch Marner to a six-year, $65.3 million contract
• The Leafs have lost to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs in two straight seasons
• The Maple Leafs averaged 3.94 goals per game last season, which was fourth best in the NHL

The Toronto Maple Leafs have finally signed Mitch Marner. While it took a while, their restricted free agent is now going to be with the team for the foreseeable future. The Maple Leafs were in the neighborhood of +900 to win the Stanley Cup before and they’re now at +1200. Are they a good bet to win it all?

2020 Stanley Cup Odds

*Odds taken 09/13/19

Leafs Ink Marner to Long-Term Deal

One of the reasons why the Maple Leafs 2020 Stanley Cup odds didn’t change that much is because Marner was a restricted free agent and it was generally assumed that they would eventually sign him. Although it took a long time, that’s exactly what happened on Friday night.

Marner 6 years in TOR. Done

— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 13, 2019

The eventual financial details released indicate that it’s a six-year agreement for $65.3 million, meaning the Leafs will pay Marner just shy of $11 million per season. That now means that the Maple Leafs have very little salary cap space as between John Tavares ($11 million) and Auston Mathews ($11.6 million), three players will take up 46% of the cap.

Have the Leafs Improved?

The real question we have to answer is whether the Leafs have improved this offseason. We know that they – theoretically – should improve from internal growth. Marner is 22, Mathews is 21, William Nylander is 23, Kasperi Kapanen is 23 and John Tavares is 28. These are all players that should incrementally improve.

In terms of roster decisions, the Leafs did make some good moves by acquiring Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci and Alex Kerfoot. Barrie is an elite offensive defenseman who is coming off a career year and Kerfoot is a nice piece. Along with additions like Jason Spezza, it feels like the Leafs have done really well to round out the roster.

How Good is the Blue Line?

The real story of the Maple Leafs season will be their blue line. We know that the offense can light it up. This is a team that finished fourth in goals per game (3.49) and has what looks like four very good lines of forward. However, the blue line only returns one player who was on the roster on opening night last season.

Igor Ozhiganov, Travis Dermott, Ron Hainsey, Nikita Zaitsev and now Jake Gardiner are all gone. Morgan Rielly is the only player who was there. That’s still OK as Jake Muzzin, who was added at the deadline, is still there and the team added Barrie. Dermott is just injured, so hopefully he’s back, and then there’s Jordan Schmaltz or Ceci.

Overall, it does look like this unit should be much better. They were – at times – a liability last year. Muzzin and Barrie alone are big upgrades and with Rielly, that’s as good a trio as there is in the league. There are some question about the bottom three and the depth, but if they’re healthy, this is a strong unit.

What’s the Best Bet?

I’ve long been bullish on the Maple Leafs Stanley Cup chances. Let’s face it: yes, they’ve struggled with Boston in the playoffs but it’s not as if the Bruins are some slouch. They lost in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals. It’s likely the Leafs have to go through them again but if they can, this team will contend for a Cup.

The Leafs forwards are about as good of a young cast of players as you’ll find and they should all get a bit better next year. They’re all so young. Management has given the blue line a big boost – the team’s biggest weakness – and they should be much stronger in that capacity.

When you look at the teams at the top of the Stanley Cup futures board, the Leafs are my bet to make a serious run in 2019-20 and win the Cup.