from Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star,

Congratulations, Toronto Maple Leafs! After recently spending some dicey moments outside the playoff picture — an alarming period of time we’ll call the Michael Hutchinson era — you’re now comfortably on pace for your fourth straight post-season berth.

Your playoff probability resides around .751. As long as your new backup goaltender’s save percentage stays sufficiently north of that figure, you’re virtual shoo-ins for another try at running the Stanley Cup gauntlet. Sustained respectability is within your grasp.

But don’t get too giddy. We both know your season was never going to be judged on merely making the playoffs. It’s never been a secret your one and only real measure of success this season comes down to the answer to a simple question: Can you win the franchise’s first playoff series since 2004?

So that’s the good news. The bar couldn’t possibly be much lower.

But here’s the less-good news. Thanks to the NHL’s absurd post-season format, your four most likely first-round playoff opponents happen to be the top four teams in the entire league.

continued