The 1974-75 saw the NHL expand once again adding the Washington Captitals and the Kansas City Scouts. With 18 teams the NHL moved from two division to four divisions within two conferences. NHL expansion and the WHA diluted the league so much that Washington finished with the worse record in the history of the NHL with only 8 wins and 21 points. The Maple Leafs benefit from realignment and an expanded playoff format making the playoffs despite finishing in 3rd place in the Adams Division (6th in their conference and 13th overall) with a 31-33-6 record. The Philadelphia Flyers were the new dominant team in the NHL also known as the Broad Street Bullies. The Maple Leafs followed the lead of other teams by bulking up by adding players like Dave ‘Tiger’ Williams and Dave Dunn from Vancouver.
The Maple Leafs would advance to the 2nd round by beating the Los Angeles Kings 2 games to 1. In the 2nd round the Leafs tried to put up a good fight against the defending Stanley Cup Champion Philadelphia Flyers but got swept in four games.It was obvious that the Leafs needed a lot of work still before becoming competitive.
Tiger Williams rookie card
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