Are the Toronto Maple Leafs a Cup Contender, or are they a just hoping to make the Playoffs?
The answer here lies in looking deeper than the NHL Standings.
The Leafs are definitely in a fight to make the playoffs, and while it remains extremely likely that they make it, nothing is impossible.
But results are often random, and the worst way to manage a team is to put too much stock in them.
Leafs Are Legitimate Contenders
For instance, teams whose position in the standing can be linked to unsustainable goaltending are not legitimate contenders.