Toronto Maple Leafs in Danger: Stanley Cup Window Closing Faster Than Expected

It feels for the first time in a long time that the Toronto Maple Leafs have a real shot at not only making the NHL Playoffs but are a strong candidate to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

With a new defensive game plan, beefed up goaltending, and a head coach who is familiar with success, the recipe for a Stanley Cup is written up, Toronto just needs to keep cooking.

But time is always a factor, and as every year passes without a win, more doubt sinks in.

This year is quite possibly their biggest test, and they need to be elite in order to finally push through.

One new statistic however shows that if Toronto doesn't end up winning something soon, they might not with the current crop...if at all.

The four superstars mentioned above: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Anze Kopitar and Sidney Crosby are all future Hall of Famers, and while they have an incredible resume, it seems that once the 'dirty thirties' hit, success seems to avoid them.

While it's impossible to keep teams together forever, it's a striking downfall from some of the league's best players of the mid-2000's into the 2010's.

Of the four players mentioned, only Kopitar is in a potential playoff position.

Crosby is dealing with a weird hybrid rebuild in Pittsburgh as GM Kyle Dubas tries to navigate his roster.

Toews hasn't played in over two years and has recently only thought about making a comeback.

Kane still contributes but has been a shell of his former self for the Red Wings; another struggling team.

What this means for Toronto is that time waits for no one, even the winners. Not finding success with Auston Matthews besides a first-round win in 2022, age is slowly becoming a big factor.

Auston Matthews (27), Mitch Marner (27), William Nyander (28), Max Domi (29), Morgan Rielly (30), John Tavares (34) are all getting close to, exactly on, or way past the age of 30.

The team is essentially in their prime (minus Tavares though he's playing like it) and if they don't win within the next couple of seasons, it's going to be arguably the biggest disappointment in Maple Leafs history.

Not to mention if they want to win together, they might only have this season left, as Marner and Tavares are free agents and while the latter is almost certainly sticking around, the same can't be said for the former.

If Toronto doesn't bring everything they have and make a statement not only in the regular season but if they can prove they belong in the playoffs, that momentum may carry them to a Cup win, just in the nick of time.