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Another Maple Leafs season is upon us and, as we’ve learned, anything can happen with this team.

With that in mind, let’s add some more spicy predictions to the pot (read Jonas Siegel’s predictions here) and peer ahead into what promises to be another intriguing Leafs season.

The Leafs flirt with being a wild-card team

Yes, it’s just one stat, but the Leafs’ five-on-five expected-goal share last season (48.52 percent, per Natural Stat Trick) suggested they were indeed a wild-card team benefitting from elite goaltending. Some regression, particularly in the goaltending, seems likely. Combined with some of the pop the Leafs lost at the top of their lineup, it wouldn’t be surprising for this team to be closer to a wild-card team than the top of the Atlantic Division this season.

There are other teams at play here, too: Tampa Bay could still challenge for top spot while Montreal and Ottawa could be poised to take noticeable steps. And the Leafs might end up completely lacking the depth goal-scoring good teams need.

This isn’t necessarily a sure bet or a reflection of where they will end in the postseason. Far from it. It’s just that the grinding, low-event hockey the Leafs want to play could very well hit a wall through 82 games.

William Nylander leads the Leafs in goal scoring

Guess I should start with the Auston Matthews element of this prediction, no?

I think Matthews will have a huge year. I also think he realized last season that as he couldn’t get his world-class shot off due to injury that he could impact the game with his defending and playmaking. There were times last year when — even injured — he looked like the most complete version of himself. I bet he runs with that and becomes a Selke Trophy nominee and earns Hart Trophy love as one of the best two-way players in hockey. And if that puts Matthews on the low end of 50 goals? So be it.

That’s where Nylander comes in.

Nylander’s ice time will likely increase with the departure of Mitch Marner. He knows how to succeed under Craig Berube after a full season with his new coach. And he’s really good at creating goal scoring opportunities with his skating and vision. Who would be surprised if he cracks 50 goals, especially if he gets more penalty kill time and uses his breakaway skills to catch teams flat-footed?

If Berube lets Nylander be Nylander, that’s the easiest way to find the kind of offence this team could lack.

So I’ll say it here, just because we’ve got to be bold: William Nylander, 51 goals. Auston Matthews, 50 goals. The rest of the Leafs? Gritted-teeth emoji.

Dennis Hildeby plays more than 20 NHL games and bats above .900

Anthony Stolarz’s injury history and the uncertainty surrounding Joseph Woll’s leave of absence could leave the door open for Dennis Hildeby to not just go beyond the six NHL starts he made last season, but eclipse it.

Yes, the Leafs added Cayden Primeau. He might also have to be placed on waivers at some point.

But Hildeby? He’s looked like a much-improved goalie through preseason. His movement has been exceptional and exceptionally composed. Frankly, the Leafs management and coaching staff seem higher on Hildeby than they have in the past. They sound intent on giving him leash, should he earn it.

Plus, goalies are notoriously difficult to predict, so I feel about as good with this dart I’m throwing than any other.

Every year, random upstart goalies around the league seemingly come out of nowhere to go on a heater. Why not Hildeby? Hildeby seems to be operating in a better headspace than last season, when he struggled in the AHL at times. I could see him grabbing the reins in the event of a Stolarz injury, racking up wins by using his massive frame and athleticism and becoming a feel-good story in the process.

Brandon Carlo struggled at times after joining the Leafs last season. There is reason to believe this year will be different. (Isaiah J. Downing/ Imagn Images)

Brandon Carlo gets some Norris Trophy love

How many times have we seen a player struggle in Toronto after being acquired at the trade deadline?

Scott Laughton bore most of the criticism in that regard last year. But quietly, Carlo stumbled too.

After an offseason to wrap his head around being a Leaf, Carlo looks and sounds like a new player. Re-energized. And it just so happens he’ll likely be playing beside another player keen on turning things around: Morgan Rielly.

Rising tides will lift all boats and we could see Carlo turn heads with heavy minutes. He’s always been steady, but Carlo has the tools to elevate himself into one of the better shutdown defencemen in the league, at least for one season.

Also, it’s fair to expect a bit of regression from Chris Tanev, meaning there could be more minutes for Carlo this season. I envision Carlo having a season akin to Mark Giordano’s in 2018-19, when the veteran just found his groove and went from good to great in plain sight. Carlo probably doesn’t have the 74 points Giordano’s had that season in him, but Norris Trophy voters understand more and more that the award should not always just go to the defenceman with the most points.

I can see a scenario where Carlo ends up finishing somewhere in the middle of the pack of defencemen who earn Norris Trophy votes.

Nick Robertson scores 20 goals

Seemingly against the odds, Nick Robertson will start the season in the Leafs top nine. That’s probably where he should have been all along.

I’m low on the Leafs’ ability to generate secondary scoring. And so I’m high on the notion that Berube will have to turn to Robertson again and again, knowing he can find sneaky goals. Yes, the goals won’t come in the way Berube wants them to — hello, odd-man rushes and shots from the dot — but if the Leafs end up generating so few goals elsewhere in the bottom six, Berube won’t ask how, but how many from Robertson.

Robertson scored at a 20-goal pace in 2023-24. After an excellent training camp, Robertson has the confidence in his game to do it again.

Now, I’m still not bold enough to predict where he’ll be in the lineup come playoff time. But 20 goals is a decent start. Robertson has always been capable of scoring that much. This year, the Leafs will need him to do it.

The Leafs beat the Florida Panthers in the playoffs

It’s the Leafs, so I don’t expect any surprises on who they’ll play in the playoffs. It’s been one of the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning or Boston Bruins in seven of their last 10 playoff series. I can see them playing the Panthers again either in the first or second round.

With the Panthers facing questions about the top of their lineup and fatigue bound to be a thing (maybe?) after three consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final and two wins, the giants could be vulnerable. While scoring will be a concern for the Leafs through the regular season, I can see them becoming better again at winning close, low-scoring games come the playoffs. This is an optimistic take, sure. But the defensive depth the Leafs added for their bottom three forward lines could help them when it matters.