Ex-NHL HC advises Maple Leafs to be cautious against rested, healthy "juggernaut" Panthers in potential first-round playoff collision

Former NHL head coach Bruce Boudreau has issued a warning to the Toronto Maple Leafs about a potential first-round playoff matchup against the Florida Panthers. The Maple Leafs are currently on top of the Atlantic Division with 98 points, while the Panthers hold third place at 92, just ahead of the Senators at 90. If things stay as they are, Toronto would face Ottawa in the first round of the playoffs.

However, if the Senators manage to overtake Florida for third, pushing the Panthers into a Wild Card spot, the Leafs would end up facing the defending Stanley Cup champions instead. Speaking on TSN's That's Hockey show on Monday, Boudreau spoke about the prospect of the Maple Leafs facing the Panthers in the playoffs.

“They're the one team (Panther) I think doesn't care if they finish first, second, or third," the former NFL coach said. "They're not afraid of any opponent, and when they're healthy, they're a pretty good juggernaut of a team."

Boudreau pointed out that several key players are currently out of the Panthers lineup, but he’s confident that they would be back by the playoffs. For Florida, Aleksander Barkov (upper body), Sam Bennett (undisclosed), Sam Reinhart (undisclosed), Niko Sturm (upper body), Dmitry Kulikov (upper body), and Gus Forsling (undisclosed) are all sidelined.

Matthew Tkachuk (LTIR/groin) and Aaron Ekblad (suspension) are also out for the Panthers.

"So I would worry about playing the Stanley Cup champions, fully healthy, a lot of the players rested and coming back and playing in Toronto," Boudreau said. "So, I mean, that's the biggest challenge if I was a Leaf and wanting to play those guys. I don't know if I'd want that."

The Leafs are coming off a 3-2 victory over the Panthers on Wednesday. The two teams will meet again on Tuesday in Florida.

NHL analyst Bryan Hayes speaks about Maple Leafs potentially facing Ottawa Senators in Round 1

Co-host Bryan Hayes pointed out on the That's Hockey show on Monday that the biggest challenge will be the mental state of the Maple Leafs, coming into a potential first-round series against the Ottawa Senators as a "prohibitive favorite."

“The Maple Leafs, the prohibitive favorite for the first time since 2021 when they played Montreal in the first round, and we all know what transpired that year,” Hayes said.

Hayes said that this Leafs team, with the likes of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander, have historically been coin-flips or underdogs in the playoffs but will now be expected to dominate against the Senators. Hayes also said that Toronto is a pressure-cooker environment. He added that with the focus on the Leafs' lack of recent playoff success, there would be high expectations for the team to advance.