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NHL Predictions: 2014 Toronto Maple Leafs Season Preview & Futures Odds

bet On NHL Hockey: Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a number of changes in the offseason, but the bulk of their moves didn’t come on the ice. The team made a slew of front office changes which will have the club assembling its roster in a very different way moving forward, utilizing different methods for analyzing talent and assembling a contender.

NHL Predictions

Toronto Maple Leafs
Odds to win the 2015 Stanley Cup: 40/1
Odds to win the 2015 Eastern Conference: 20/1
Odds to Win the 2014 Atlantic Division: 12/1
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2014-2015 Toronto Maple Leafs Betting Preview:

The Maple Leafs brought in Brendan Shanahan to be the president of the organization, and he’s made a number of changes to the structure of the management team under general manager Dave Nonis and head coach Randy Carlyle, putting an emphasis on analytics in player evaluation, and putting together a new team of assistants to man the bench.

The Leafs came apart at the seams at the end of last season, losing 12 of its final 14 games in regulation, including a stretch in which they lost eight in a row.

The team fell from second in the Atlantic Division on March 16 to sixth by the end of the regular season.

Offense

For years now there has been a major gap between the Leafs’ top two lines and their bottom two lines, and Carlyle wants to narrow that gap, helping to develop the third and fourth lines into legitimate threats to score the puck. The team’s offense will still be ultra-reliant on that top line once again this season, no matter his efforts.

Phil Kessel has truly developed into one of the elite scorers in hockey right now, while linemates James van Riemsdyk and Tyler Bozak have helped to form one of the most productive units in the game. After those three, Joffrey Lupul and Nazem Kadri have been the most consistent sources of offensive production for the Leafs.

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The team had six forwards with 44 or more points a year ago, but no one else on the team had more than 20. Fixing that problem starts with being better at controlling the puck. The Leafs need to do a better job of cycling the puck and creating consistent chances rather than getting one chance and exiting the zone.

The team’s brought in some fresh legs to help in that area with big bodies in David Booth, Leo Komarov, and Daniel Winnik who can wear down opposing defenses. A bounce back from David Clarkson would also be a positive development.

After signing a seven-year, $36.75 million contract last offseason, Clarkson finished with only 11 points in 60 games.

Defense

The Maple Leafs allowed a league-high 35.9 shots on goal per game last season.

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Things got even worse down the stretch for the team at the back end. The Leafs allowed 2.98 goals per game through their first 68 contests, then allowed 3.5 goals per game over their final 14 games, going 2-12-0 in those contests.

The Leafs brought in some fresh blood on the back end in Roman Polak and Stephane Robidas, and will hope for continued improvements in the development of youngsters Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly.

A positive development for the team a year ago was goaltender Jonathan Bernier showing that he has what it takes to be the No. 1 guy, posting a 2.68 GAA and .923 save percentage in a career-high 55 appearances. James Reimer remains in town and will get the call in relief on occasion.

FREE Maple Leafs NHL Predictions 2014/2015

The Leafs made some solid additions that went under the radar in the offseason, so the club should be improved this season, but they’ll need to weather some early injuries suffered in the preseason and in camp.

Closing the deal at the back end of the regular season has been a problem as well, so they’ll need to be sure to play out the full 82 games.

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By Gino Bottero

Gino is new to CappersPicks.com but NOT new to the online gambling industry.He's got an AMAZING knack for discovering hidden gems when it comes to betting on sports. Stick with him as he predicts when a team will have a letdown! Check Gino out for NBA, NHL, NFL, and MLB betting articles all season long!