The Battle of Ontario has finally arrived, and The Leafs Nation staff are here to break down some key questions entering the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Toronto enters the series as a heavy favourite, despite the fact that Ottawa swept the head-to-head matchup during the regular season. Without further ado, here’s our staff roundtable!

Nick Alberga, host and director, Leafs Morning Take: I’d say I’m at a 7. Indisputably, this is the best crease and defence they’ve possessed in the Auston Matthews era. That said, because we’ve seen this group fail so many times before, there’s certainly still a seed of doubt lingering in the back of my mind. I’m treading carefully but I’m choosing to believe that this team is – in fact – different. The 82 game path wasn’t linear —that’s for sure. There were ups, and there certainly were downs. In the long run, though, I think they play a brand that’s more conducive to finding postseason success. 

Arun Srinivasan, managing editor: It’s at an 8. For all the consternation about the team’s lack of five-on-five scoring, Toronto finished 12th with 169 goals, while Ottawa finished with 139 goals, the second-fewest in the NHL and that will become apparent during this series. There were some hiccups, but the Maple Leafs usually found a way to win and have truly emerged as one of the elite defensive teams in the league. This is the first time since 2021 where the Leafs are the clearly superior team in their first round series. Perhaps at my own peril, past precedent doesn’t concern me in this series.

Jon Steitzer, editor: I’ll put my confidence level at a 7 with the acknowledgement that my Leafs confidence level matches out at 8. Regular season results be damned. A prepared Leafs team that shows some respect for the Senators instead of treating them as an easy out can out talent and out muscle Ottawa.

Michael Mazzei, writer and social media coordinator: My confidence is at a 5, not because I don’t think the Leafs this year don’t have it in them but more so because I am scarred by the past failures. Willing to adjust as the series progresses but for now I’m neutral.

Dylan Nazareth, writer: I’d put it at a 7. Their defensive depth exceeds previous years and the team has been clicking as of late, but still need to see it tested in the postseason.

Alex Hobson, associate editor: 8/10 as of now. I would be 10/10 confident if they didn’t have a history of collapsing in big games, but they’re rounded out better than any team in the past has been.

Alberga: For me, it’s Toronto’s power play. Even though the PP finished the regular season strong, by now, we all know that the Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different animal. Bottom line, they need to score more power play goals than the Senators —at the very least. The margin for error this time of year is razor thin. Every goal matters, and if they can find a way to bury a few on the PP and not go say 1-for-21, they should be in good shape to advance to Round 2.

Srinivasan: Bobby McMann’s elite straight-line speed puts defenders on their heels, and he could quickly be elevated to the second line if things go awry. McMann is a streaky scorer that can be moved up throughout the lineup, and he’ll be expected to win his minutes handily against bottom-six competition, which ought to lead to some much-needed secondary scoring through the series.

Steitzer: Time to go with the biggest cop out answer of all time and say the goaltenders. Ullmark could certainly be how the Senators steal the series but either Stolarz or Woll being the unshakeable option in net that Toronto hasn’t received in a long time would also help boost that confidence level for the second round (if we are so lucky.

Mazzei: Matthew Knies is in the midst of a breakout season and has a prime opportunity to cement himself as one of the leaders on this team. Chris Tanev is another pick simply because of how important he has been to the defence.

Nazareth: It has to be (Anthony) Stolarz. Riding an eight-game win streak, he’s been red-hot lately and if he can keep it up he could be the difference maker for the Leafs, especially with the Senators having their own strong goaltender in Linus Ullmark.

Hobson: Not abandoning their own game and getting roped into playing Ottawa’s game. It killed them against Boston and Florida. If we want to nail it down to one or two players, give me the goaltending tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll. Elite playoff goaltending is a luxury this team hasn’t had in the past.

Alberga: The easy answer – because he always seems to be the guy that steps up the most – would be William Nylander. That said, I’ll go with Auston Matthews. I know there’s a lot of heat and pressure on Mitch Marner to have a strong series but Matthews currently makes the most money in the NHL. Simply put, he needs to have a strong spring. On top of that, it doesn’t hurt that the Leafs’ captain has traditionally played very well against the Ottawa Senators in his career —dating back to his four goal explosion in his NHL debut. In 35 career games against the Sens, Matthews has potted 25 goals and 47 points. Now that he’s the captain, I think there’s even more pressure for Matthews to grab this team by the horns and will them to victory. 

Srinivasan: I was tempted to select Mitch Marner, coming off an 102-point campaign where he excelled in all situations as the team MVP, but John Tavares has arguably been the team’s best player at 5-on-5 since the 4 Nations break, and I think that will continue in this series. Tavares is bullying his way to the net-front and with the Matthew Tkachuk line likely assigned to Marner and Auston Matthews, Tavares, along with William Nylander should feast in their matchups. Tavares can get to the high-danger areas and has made a career out of scoring from the slot. It’s Tavares for me.

Steitzer: In a couple of the meetings this year we haven’t seen William Nylander and John Tavares together against the Senators, and that combination going up against a TravisHamonic/Thomas Chabot pairing provides me some optimism. I think the pressure is off version of Tavares we’ve been enjoying throughout the season is the guy who is going to elevate the most.

Mazzei: Mitch Marner is under the most pressure simply because his future with the team rides on how the Leafs do this spring. I’m expecting William Nylander to be elite once again.

Nazareth: I’m gonna cheat and say Matthew Knies. He’s been a strong presence for the Leafs this season, and I think he can step up in a way so undeniable that they are known from there on out as the Core Five.

Hobson: I’m going to go against everything I’ve ever said about him and toss my vote to Mitch Marner. Between having big moments during the 4 Nations, finally hitting the 100-point mark and facing free agency, it feels like there’s no better time than Marner to take everything he’s learned and finally put together a big playoff series.

Alberga: As mentioned above, their much-improved crease and blue line depth give me substantial reason for optimism. Additionally, it’s not a pretty game to watch, but without question, I think patience is the name of the game in the postseason. If Toronto continues to trust their system, they should have no problem both frustrating the Senators defensively and infiltrating their below-average blue line offensively.

Srinivasan: The combination of adapting a defence-first system under Craig Berube, combined with a revamped defence corps which boasts a true top-four — five, including Oliver Ekman-Larsson – makes it a different team entirely. Anthony Stolarz provides the Leafs with the best goaltending they’ve received during the past decade, and while they’re expected to outscore the Senators, they can also win the one-goal games as well.

Steitzer: This team is different because Sheldon Keefe is gone. I haven’t been the biggest fan of Berube throughout the regular season but his playoff resume shows a guy more capable of adapting to what his opponent brings to the table. I’m interesting in seeing if he’ll earn his keep

Mazzei: They have been playing more playoff style games this season compared to years past, there’s a stronger emphasis on sticking up for themselves, and their goalies are doing well. It certainly has a different feel but we’ll see how it translates to the playoffs.

Nazareth: The team has shown a lot more resilience under Craig Berube than I’ve seen in the past few seasons, I think that will be crucial in the playoffs.

Hobson: It’s a a tie between their commitment to their game and the depth on defence and goaltending. Having Brandon Carlo as arguably your third-best defenceman is a huge step up from where they’ve been in past years, and like I said above, the tandem of Stolarz and Woll have given their team a chance to win nearly every game this season.

Alberga: Leafs in 6.

Srinivasan: Leafs in 6.

Steitzer: Leafs in 5 — this is literally as optimistic as I get.

Mazzei: Leafs in 6, but it will take years off my life.

Nazareth: Leafs in 6.

Hobson: Leafs in 6.