Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs got a bold prediction from Kevin Weekes on Wednesday.
"I think it is gonna be a much better season," Weekes said on Off The Roster, citing more stability in net, added depth and a healthy Matthews.
Bold, considering where this team just finished.
Toronto closed last season 32-36-14 for 78 points, ranked 28th overall in the league with a goal differential of -46.
That included a seven-game losing streak to close the year and a 2-7-1 stretch over the final ten games.
Matthews battled through it too, appearing in only 60 of 82 games and finishing with 27 goals, 26 assists and 53 points.
His plus-minus sat at -4, a rough number for a player carrying a 13,250,000 dollar cap hit as the face of the franchise.
New coach Jim Hiller inherits a shaky Leafs crease
Toronto is bringing in a new voice behind the bench too, with Jim Hiller taking over as head coach this offseason.
Weekes made the comments alongside co-hosts Cabbie, Dan Riccio and Lindsay Dunn, all of them buying into the turnaround story.
The stability in net Weekes referenced is a fair question mark, not a guarantee.
Sergei Bobrovsky posted a .876 save percentage across 52 games last season, while Anthony Stolarz sat at .893 in 26 starts.
Neither number screams stability. It screams a goaltending group that needs to find another level fast.
The depth up front is real, though.
William Nylander scored 30 goals and put up 79 points, while John Tavares added 31 goals and 71 points at age 35.
Matthew Knies chipped in 66 points but finished at -30, the worst mark on the roster and a sign the bottom six leaked just as much as the top.
Health is not universal either. Max Domi is dealing with a back injury and is considered questionable for the start of the season.
Weekes is betting on belief. Whether Hiller can turn that belief into wins once the games actually count is the only thing that decides if he is right.
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Does Kevin Weekes have this Leafs turnaround right, or is he too optimistic?
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