Pierre LeBrun has bold prediction for Maple Leafs

This is going to be a critical campaign for the Toronto Maple Leafs and general manager Kyle Dubas in particular, who was given a vote of confidence by team president Brendan Shanahan despite yet another failure to advance past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

It's a tired refrain that the fans are certainly tired of having to hear - they've not won a postseason round since the 2003-04 NHL season. Of course, that was before the likes of Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Carey Price, Patrick Kane, Henrik Ludqvist, and Anze Kopitar ever skated in an NHL contest. 

This year's edition of the Leafs will look a bit different, especially in the crease. But the optimism that produced the best regular season in recent Leafs memory remains, with the hope that they'll finally be able to break through finally coming on the horizon.

And if this prediction from NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun is any indication, it sounds as though the Leafs opening round postseason nightmares could finally come to an end next spring. He's officially predicting that the Leafs will break through and advance to the 2nd round for the first time since their victory over the provincial rival Ottawa Senators in 2004. 

Q: Will the Maple Leafs finally win a postseason series? 

A: "Yes, sir. It is happening, people. This is the season the Shana-plan delivers a playoff series win, if not more. And I’m not saying that just to help soothe some crushed souls in the Toronto sports market after an embarrassing Blue Jays weekend. No, I truly believe the Maple Leafs will flip that massive anvil off their backs. The collective playoff scar tissue will mean something. For starters, I see the Leafs and Lightning battling for the top spot in the Atlantic Division, and regardless of which team wins out, I predict a 1-2 finish there, which means no first-round matchup between those clubs. I believe Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov will be pleasant surprises for the Leafs — not great exactly, but good enough. And then the Leafs will win their first playoff series since 2004. The boys on TSN’s Overdrive won’t have to relive the exact same radio show post first-round they’ve had since they’ve had forever."

Will the Leafs make good on his prediction?