NHL analyst weighs in on team in danger of Round 1 exit in Leafs-Senators Battle of Ontario

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin with their first-round series against the Ottawa Senators. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday, April 20.

Toronto finished the season with 100 points. This is their fourth straight season reaching that mark. Ottawa had 40 wins, their best record since 2016-17. They are back in the playoffs for the first time since that season.

On Friday, TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button and TSN Hockey analyst Frankie Corrado joined Gino Reda to talk about the Leafs-Senators series. Corrado said the Leafs are not under full pressure, but they aren’t fully relaxed either.

(3:27) "This is somewhere in the middle, and there's a lot of scar tissue that goes with the Toronto Maple Leafs come playoff time, and this is an Ottawa Senators team that is new to the party," Corrado said.

Corrado noted that Toronto looks different this year. He said the team’s defense is better than before. Their goaltending is also more reliable. He mentioned that Mitch Marner has had a great season and hopes he can carry that form into the playoffs.

Corrado added that the Senators are excited to be back in the playoffs. But they may struggle with the experience. He thinks Toronto have the tools to finally break through. Still, he believes the series sits “somewhere in the middle.”

"And this is a Toronto team, though, that looks and feels and acts a little bit differently this year.... And Mitch Marner has been unbelievable this year, so maybe he keeps that going into the playoffs. It's somewhere in the middle for me," he added.

Paul Bissonnette picks the Toronto Maple Leafs as Eastern Conference winner

NHL on TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette picked the Toronto Maple Leafs to win the Eastern Conference this year. He said this was his pick since the start of the season.

Most other analysts chose different teams like Florida, Tampa Bay, or Colorado. Bissonnette also picked Edmonton to win the West. But, he added he might switch to Colorado if he had to change.

"I'm going to stick with the Leafs in the East," Bissonnette said, "that's been my prediction since the start of the year. They have set themselves up perfectly. I did pick Edmonton in the West... (but) I would go with the Colorado Avalanche."

Under the first-year captaincy of forward Auston Matthews and a standout 100-point season for Mitch Marner, Toronto is expected to go deep in the playoffs this year.