The Toronto Maple Leafs have struggled to get much going lately, now 1-4-1 in their last six games despite ponying up for a couple of big additions at the deadline. Between numerous blown leads along that stretch along with their biggest strength in goaltending coming back to earth, the Leafs haven’t inspired much hope as they head into the playoffs searching for their first multi-round win playoff run.
That said, there are still 16 games remaining in the regular season, meaning there’s plenty of time left for the team to string together some wins and get things back on track by the time the playoffs arrive. But since we don’t have much in the realm of positivity to discuss following a loss to the divisional rival Ottawa Senators, let’s take a look at some digging done by Matt Larkin from our sister site, DailyFaceoff.
As part of his annual “Stanley Cup Ingredients” series, Larkin kicked things off by examining where the most recent Stanley Cup winners ranked in the league in terms of heaviness. The skill versus size argument has been ongoing for quite some time, and although it’s tapered off in recent years with the understanding that you can be 5-foot-10 and the most dominant player on the ice, there’s still something to be said about the league’s heaviest teams and how far that’s able to carry them. Here’s a snippet of Larkin’s findings.
| Season | Champion | Avg. Weight | League rank |
| 2014-15 | Chicago | 198 lbs | 28th |
| 2015-16 | Pittsburgh | 195 lbs | 30th |
| 2016-17 | Pittsburgh | 194 lbs | 30th |
| 2017-18 | Washington | 204 lbs | 6th |
| 2018-19 | St. Louis | 203 lbs | 5th |
| 2019-20 | Tampa Bay | 203 lbs | 4th |
| 2020-21 | Tampa Bay | 204 lbs | 2nd |
| 2021-22 | Colorado | 199 lbs | 14th |
| 2022-23 | Vegas | 205 lbs | 1st |
| 2023-24 | Florida | 199 lbs | 18th |
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving has emphasized the importance of size on his hockey teams, specifically on the blueline, so it should come as no surprise that the Maple Leafs are currently the heaviest team in the NHL with an average weight of 207.7 pounds. With four of the past six Cup winners being top-5 in the league in terms of total team weight, perhaps this is something that will prove to be an advantage for the Leafs that they haven’t had in previous postseasons.
While slightly shocking to see the notoriously heavy-hitting Florida Panthers in the bottom half of the league in terms of total team weight, Larkin notes that they didn’t need the highest number on the scale to be perceived as a heavy team.
“Five of the past seven Stanley Cup champions have ranked among the league’s six heaviest teams, suggesting the overall correlation remains strong. That said, it’s intriguing that two of the past three winners have sat around the middle of the pack. Are we seeing a shift? It’s possible. Then again, while the 2023-24 Panthers didn’t rank among the NHL’s biggest teams, they were the meanest, leading the NHL in hits and penalty minutes. So it appears they punched above their weight class and played heavy hockey even if they were an averaged-sized club.”
While it’s encouraging to see that the Leafs are well-equipped to handle the heavy pace of play in the playoffs, they’re not going to go far without a return to the all-star goaltending they were getting in the first half of the season, and more importantly, without solving their long-lasting issue of not being able to score in crucial moments in the playoffs. Still, if nothing else, this can serve as another element of hope for fans to cling onto when the calendar flips to the postseason.
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