Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup Hopes Take a Grim Turn

Toronto Maple Leafs fans have been without a Stanley Cup for 58 years. Montreal Canadiens fans have gone 32 years without a Cup. Meanwhile, Vancouver Canucks, Ottawa Senators, and Winnipeg Jets fans have never seen their team win.

The Oilers haven't won in 35 years, and for the Calgary Flames, it has been 36 years. Needless to say, it has not been an easy time for Canadian teams.

Despite having teams make it to the Stanley Cup Final, they continue to come up short, which has been very disappointing to see.

Going into this season, Toronto Maple Leafs fans are hopeful that the team can defy the odds and have itself a huge season. Unfortunately, that does not appear likely.

In fact, Mike Rupp of the NHL Network is warning Canadian hockey fans that this is not the year when a Canadian team breaks through.

Instead, he believes that Canadian teams could go another 25 years without a Cup. He just doesn't really see the immediate potential right now.

The team with the best odds of going deep this season is the Edmonton Oilers, although they continuously run into problems during the Finals.

If they can get a good matchup, then there is a realistic chance that they defy the odds and finally get a Cup. But for now, no one is counting on it.

As for the Toronto Maple Leafs, without Mitch Marner, this is going to be a particularly rough season, unless they get another superstar.