Toronto Maple Leafs: End of Year Report Cards for Offense

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The Toronto Maple Leafs players report cards are long overdue.

What kind of guy am I that I forgot to hand out an end of the year report card to each of the Toronto Maple Leafs players?

Not a very good one.

Well, let’s fix that.

It’s time to grade the player’s performances from this past season. If a player played nine games or less, they’ll be excluded from this list.

Pretty standard here as I’ll dish out a grade for an individual out of the following options.

Auston Matthews (A+)

This guy.

It’s hard to not give Matthews all the praise and glory you can. He came out with high expectations and passed them all.

Being a first overall pick has some added pressure attached to it, but being the first overall selection drafted to the Leafs is a different story.

Matthews scored four goals in his debut, broke the franchise rookie goal scoring record, lead the team in goals with 40 and points with 69.

Not to mention the fact that he lead all rookies in goals and points and is one of the three finalists for Calder Trophy.

He also captured Rookie of the Month honors.

He did it all and will be part of the face of this team for years to come.

James van Riemsdyk (A)

van Riemsdyk had a bounce back season. He’s a support player who hadn’t had many to support since the departure of Phil Kessel.

Ya, well that all changed this past season.

His veteran presence was a valuable asset on this young Leafs team.

In 82 games played, he scored 29 goals and 62 points, a career best.

His stock value is through the roof right now. The only reason he didn’t receive an A+ is because he didn’t make 30 goals and I know that’s pretty cold on my part.

But, I would’ve loved to see him hit that mark.

Nazem Kadri (A+)

I know a few people that thought his most recent contract extension was too big, but I had always carried the notion that Kadri was a great addition to this team.

Anyone disagree now?

What a year this guy had.

in 82 games played, he notched 32 goals and 61 points, a career best by 11 points.

11.

He surpassed his old point total of 50 set in the 2013-14 season.

All while playing the role of a shutdown center.

I just can’t believe how well him buying into Mike Babcock’s system has paid off. And if you think this has nothing to do with the Jack Adams nominated coach, you’re wrong.

This has a lot to do with him.

William Nylander (A+)

I’m not going to lie, I had little expectations for Nylander.

Ya, I know, that was pretty stupid because he obviously has a lot of talent.

I was wrong, there are you happy?

Never trade this kid. Make him don the blue and white for life.

I’ve watched few players dazzle with the puck as well as Nylander does. His foot speed, hockey IQ, awareness, you name it.

He has it.

Just the way he breaks out of his zone and into the offensive zone is beautiful.

He broke records, won Rookie of the Month honors twice and scored 22 goals and 61 points in 81 games played.

He’s an integral part of the Leafs core moving forward.

Mitchell Marner (A+)

My boy.

I remember watching Marner in Juniors before he was drafted and got excited at the thought of him being a Leaf.

Then he was drafted and we all had to patiently wait until he got some ice time.

Well, people thought his size would be an issue.

Wrong, just wrong.

This kid is special and is so good with the puck, it’s not even funny.

In 77 games played, he scored 19 goals and 61 points.

Ya, three games less than Nylander and he still amassed the same point total. That’s no knock on the other guy, though.

That’s no knock on the other guy, though.

All I’m saying is maybe size doesn’t play that much of a factor when you’re this good.

Don’t forget the records he broke and the Rookie of the Month honor bestowed upon him.

Tyler Bozak (A+)

I was not a Bozak fan before this season. Honestly, I thought he was part of the bad signings from the old days.

Boy, was I wrong about him, though.

He’s terrific, a leader, a smart hockey player, and a glue guy.

How do you not like Bozak?

Even more so with the year he had and I know a lot of his success can be attributed to Marner on his wing, but still.

He impressed me.

In 78 games played, he scored 18 goals and 55 points, a career-high I might add.

For those that don’t think faceoffs are important, stop reading because I’m going to talk about his faceoff game since they are important.

Fair warning.

Bozak recorded a 56.7% faceoff win percentage this past season, good for seventh overall in the league.

To call him a maven in the dot wouldn’t be far-fetched by any stretch of the imagination.

Connor Brown (A)

Here we are, Downtown Connor Brown.

What’s not to like about this kid?

He’s smart, hard working, fast, skilled and disciplined.

Coming into a team where he was going to be overshadowed by a lot probably served him better as he quietly recorded 20 goals and 36 points.

On any other team, this kind of performance by a rookie would be talked about much more.

But, being on the best team of combined rookies in the NHL’s history plays out a different story.

All in all, he had a terrific rookie season.

Leo Komarov (B)

Love it or hate it, I don’t really care.

If you expected Komarov to have the same kind of year he had in 2015-16 then you’d be giving him a lot lower of a grade.

There was no chance he’d perform the same way he did, structurally it didn’t make sense.

He quietly had a good year.

I’m sure more of his contribution was behind the scenes and that’s why he gets a B.

Average.

Zach Hyman (A-)

Workhorse, workhorse, workhorse.

Get to the loose puck, pass it to the better players, kill penalties.

He played a versatile and utility position and whether or not you agree or disagree, he made a positive statement.

Putting up 10 goals and 28 points is not bad for this kind of player.

The reason he’s not at an A or A+ is because he didn’t put up more points, not like anyone was expecting him to really do so.

Still, he deserves the grade.

Josh Leivo (A)

Wow.

I mean it.

I love Leivo’s game, I really do.

In 10 games played, he scored two goals and put up 10 points for almost a point per game.

It’s a wonder why he wasn’t tossed in the lineup a little more.

I know he’s a righty, but he’s comfortable playing on the left side.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.

Babcock should throw him on Matthews left wing.

Just a thought, but this kids performance definitely earns him an A.

Matt Martin (B)

He had a good year.

Whether that was being Marner’s older twin or not, it was a decent year for the goonish type player.

He’s not out there to score goals or rack up points, so don’t expect that from him.

Just the positivity he brings to the Leafs bench is fantastic.

The energy, the strength, all valuable assets to this dying breed of player.

Nikita Soshnikov (C+)

I was a little disappointed with Soshnikov’s year.

I expected more out of him as far as points go, wrong or right of me to do so.

Just five goals and nine points in 56 games played isn’t good enough.

He didn’t deliver in the points department and it’s probably why he’s getting a C+.

Soshnikov does play with grit, intensity, and passion, which I love seeing.

Maybe part of me is a little upset that he took the roster spot from Leivo or Kasperi Kapanen, but still, his grade is justified.

And I know he played on a checking line, so don’t think I’m not aware.

I just think he’s capable of more offensively.

Ben Smith (D+)

He’s just, well, Smith just isn’t.

How do I put this nicely?

He’s not very good at his job.

Smith was picked up on waivers, again, for his penalty kill skill.

He didn’t really showcase that, especially on a team that was doing just fine on the PK.

D+ is the best I could do.

Frederik Gauthier (B-)

It’s hard to grade Gauthier because he’s still clearly in the development phase of his career but was called up out of necessity.

In the faceoff dot, he did alright, which is how I’m justifying the B- grade I gave and points wise, he’ll need to add a little.

And I know he’s never going to be a major point getter, but a few more wouldn’t hurt.

Brian Boyle (B+)

What a trade by Lou Lamoriello.

Boyle brings positional awareness, size, strength, presence, and experience to the team and I think that he delivered in all of those areas.

I really hope the Leafs ink him to a deal because I think he’s good for the team.

However, nothing crazy as I’m just thinking one year or so.

He played well and is a sizeable reason for the Leafs push near the end of the regular season to make the playoffs.

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