Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable: Three Positives, One Negative

2 of 6

Oct 22, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs left wing James van Riemsdyk (25) and teammates celebrate his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks in the second period at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /

The Toronto Maple Leafs may not have the results they wanted in the first week, but it wasn’t all bad.

In this week’s roundtable we give three positive takes and one negative take on the Toronto Maple Leafs first few games of action.

There’s no shortage of topics given the Leafs high profile status and how the first few contests have gone.

What are your three positives and one negative?

Let us know in the comment section after you’ve sifted through the slideshow.

First up, Eddie Razo.

Oct 15, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Nikita Zaitsev (22) skates behind his net during a 4-1 win over Boston Bruins at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Eddie Razo

Positives

Nikita Zaitsev is who we thought he is.

The expectations for Zaitsev going into the season was that he could play in the top four of the Maple Leafs defensive corp. It’s safe to say that he has met and even exceeded these expectations.

Furthermore, Zaitsev has gained the trust of Mike Babcock. In the game versus the Minnesota Wild he lead all Maple Leafs in TOI with 22:11 and on even strength TOI with 19:27.

For the most part he has been paired with Matt Hunwick and he has not looked out of place. He seems to make the right play and because of that I hope Babcock can finally give him a bigger role and fill that partner role for Morgan Rielly.

The Developing Chemistry between Nylander and Matthews

More from Editor In Leaf

Prior to the start of the season, fans were salivating at the thought of Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews playing together, however, that has not been the case as Matthews has been on a line with William Nylander and Zach Hyman.

It’s early, but the chemistry that Matthews and Nylander have shown is something worth noting. They are starting to become the engine that gets the Maple Leafs offense going.

Also, these two are in the top five in scoring (it’s early, I know) as Matthews is tied for second place in points with eight and Nylander is tied for third with seven points.

The priceless hockey mom moments.

For my third positive I am going off the ice for a moment and giving some love to mothers of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Both have provided some early moments for the Maple Leafs and their sons.

From Emma Matthews who was shown cheering, smiling, laughing, and even crying as we all witness Matthews make history scoring four goals in his NHL debut versus the Ottawa Senators.

Then you have Bonnie Marner who was nowhere to be found when Marner scored his first NHL goal against the Boston Bruins. Turns out she was in the washroom at the time of the goal, so she will have unique story as to her whereabouts when she talks about his first NHL goal.

Negative

The defense isn’t awful, but it does need fixing.

So far this season, the achillies heel for the Maple Leafs has been the defensive side of their game. Martin Marincin has made every fan cringe and puzzle everyone as to why Babcock has him playing top pairing minutes.

Also, even though I like Connor Carrick, partnering him with Morgan Rielly is not wise. Then you have veterans like Hunwick and Roman Polak who are serving as placeholders but are prone to showing their age and getting beat.

Moves are going to have be made to fix this defense, the Maple Leafs have so many talented forwards it would not surprise me if the decide to shop some of them for some defensive help down the road.

Oct 22, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling (33) blocks a shot by Toronto Maple Leafs center Mitchell Marner (16) during a shootout at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /

Torrin Batchelor

Name 3? That’s pretty hard to do. However, unlike the last decade, it’s not because the Leafs are a barren train wreck of futile hopes and dreams, it’s because it’s going to be tough to pick just 3.

Positives

1) Mitch Marner can play Defence.

His plus/minus stat doesn’t reflect this but the number of times you see Marner as the first forward back is unbelievable. His edge work on his skates allows him to get back and pick the pocket of the opposing forward and then cycle the puck up to his line mates or break the puck out of the zone himself.

After his record breaking CHL career, we all expected him to score, but his commitment to defence, back checking and the little things are what cements the fact that his NHL career should be a long and notable one.

Lauren Kelly

Positives

The Kids Are All Right

The Leafs opened the season with six rookies on their roster, and pretty much all of them have made an impact one way or another.

Matthews had his record-breaking rookie debut, Marner and Brown both scored their first NHL goals, and Nylander has seven points in five games.

In fact, Toronto’s six rookies have combined for 20 points through five games this season. Even with all the expectations surrounding Matthews and Co., that’s hardly a statistic anyone thought they’d have at this point in the season.

The Goals Are Coming

More from Editor In Leaf

Remember last year when the team couldn’t buy a goal, not even for a million dollars? That’s done a complete 180 now, with the rookies firing on all cylinders.

Matthews, Nylander, and Marner have all started the season by having immediate impacts on the scoresheet, and if not for the amount of pucks that keep finding the back of the net, the Leafs might not have gotten to overtime or the shootout at all.

But if, and when, the rookies fizzle, will the veterans like Kadri, JVR, Bozak, etc. be able to keep the offense going?

Positive Possession

The Leafs are currently fifth in overall possession in the NHL, which is great considering how poor their possession stats were last season.

They’re currently hovering around 54.5% (prior to the Blackhawks game, without Hunwick on the ice, they were at 59.5%). What’s even more impressive is that the younger players (namely Nylander, Brown, Carrick, Matthews, and Marner) are the main reasons as to why they Leafs have improved their puck possession numbers.

The question now is, can they keep it up?

Negatives

Gone With the Leads

I did kind of rant about how bad the blueline actually is after the Blackhawks game but wow, I did not expect the Leafs to have such issues in their own zone.

What is it with this team and their inability to hold onto leads, especially this season? It’s actually comical – when the Leafs head into the 3rd with a lead of any sort, you can basically be assured that it’ll be gone by the time the third period is over.

They could be 5-0 right now if they could just hold the fort down. If their goal is to get six-points out of every five games, according to Mike Babcock, they’re going to have to figure out how to stop the bleeding, before it gets even uglier than it already is.

Oct 15, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16) embraces goalie Frederik Andersen (31) as they celebrate a 4-1 win over Boston Bruins at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

Nick Bell

Positives

Mitch Marner’s ability to hang with the big boys considering his size. The kids got talent and he adds a much needed spark to the team. Nice to know that Matthews won’t have to carry the franchise alone.
Matthews bringing much needed hope to leafs fans in game one against Ottawa. Despite the loss, the fact that he broke records that night speaks volumes for what’s to come this season.
Goalies: Two new additions in Andersen and Enroth. It’s a nice change of pace to see two relatively young goalies who are dedicated to the teams success. Too early to judge who is better but ether way, they’re both solid.

Negative

Matt Martin

I don’t have as much of an issue with Babcock bringing in him as I do with the fact that during the Boston game, he flat out refused to do his job (whether people want to admit it or not). If you’re the teams designated “goon”, you goon!

You don’t let Chara grab you and feed you 4 shots before you even consider retaliating. That and the fact that Kadri had a more exciting fight is a serious issue.

Oct 7, 2016; Hamilton, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock (right) talks to his players during a break in the action against the Detroit Red Wings in a preseason hockey game at First Ontario Centre. Detroit defeated Toronto 2-1. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Tim Chiasson

Positives

A quick start for Auston Matthews

Although we all would have accepted whatever start Matthews gave us, it sure is nice to not have to deal with the trolls saying Matthews is a bust.

Matthews hot start has been incredible to watch and something Leafs fans have needed for a very long time. It’s easily the most positive thing for this team so far.

William Nylander’s chemistry with Auston Matthews

It’s not easy to play with superstars, just look at how many wingers Sidney Crosby has gone through over the years.

More from Editor In Leaf

William Nylander is a potential star in the NHL and having great chemistry with Auston Matthews is going to get him there faster than we could have imagined.

There was no guarantee that this combination would work, but it’s a pleasant surprise to see that it looks like there’s a permanent winger for Matthews for the next ten years.

Special teams is playing much better

The special teams units are playing much better than last year – most notably the power play – even though there are still tonnes of hockey left to play on the year.

The Leafs are 5th in PP% prior to October 24th’s games and 12th in the penalty kill. Compare that to a 29th place rank in PP last season and a 13th rank (~7% lower) for the penalty kill.

What the Leafs are doing is working, so here’s hoping they can keep up the good work +/- a skater.

Negative

Mike Babcock’s deployment

Babcock might be the best coach in hockey, but that doesn’t make him immune from criticism.

He has questionably deployed personnel all season, most notably Jake Gardiner and his average TOI being only higher than Hunwick on defense. Gardiner isn’t as bad as people want him to be, he’s actually quite good if you break away from the anti-Gardiner movement.

That poor deployment list also included Connor Brown until Milan Michalek was placed on waivers, too. Players need to play in their expected roles, not whither away with the riff-raff.

Next: Smith claimed off waivers, Michalek sent to Marlies

I get the showcasing players theory, I really do, but play your best players. There’s no need to showcase Matt Hunwick. He’s not an NHL player anymore. There’s no need to play Auston Matthews 17 minutes a game. He played pro last year and he hasn’t looked out of place at all in the NHL.

Superstars play big minutes. Matthews is a superstar.

Home / Editorials