Writer predicts Leafs will win the Stanley Cup in 2020

The Toronto Maple Leafs had the best odds at winning the Stanley Cup earlier this season - while there's no exact science to predicting who will win the Stanley Cup, and when, David Petrie of The Hockey Writers boldly predicts that the Leafs will finally win it in 2020 - for the first time since 1967.

Petrie's theory is based on the fact that teams including the Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks, and Anaheim Ducks won the Cup four years after drafting a franchise player. The likes of Sidney Crosby, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Toews, and Ryan Getzlaf/Corey Perry.

The theory is obviously flawed, as Petrie admits - other key players such as Evgeni Malkin and Patrick Kane may have marked the beginning of their respective's teams' journey to the Cup - and they fall out of the 4 year window.

That being said, Auston Matthews was drafted in 2016, and the 4 year window brings the Leafs to 2020 to win their first Cup. With the likes of Matthews, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner all in their prime - they will be a force to reckon with.

Their issue now, as Petrie outlines, is that their defense isn't good enough yet. Very few teams can overcome a below average defense to win the Cup on offense alone. As it stands, the Leafs are in the bottom third of the league from a defensive standpoint, and would need to drastically improve that as the playoffs roll in to stand a chance this year.

Evidently, this is just a prediction, much like Sports Illustrated's prediction in 2014 that the Houston Astros would win the World Series in 2017. The premise of the prediction was that the young core they were building around would hit their prime in 2017 - and sure enough, they were right.

What do you think? Is 2020 the magic year?