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Toronto Maple Leafs: End of Year Report Cards for Defense

By Andrew Boehmer

Apr 21, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) skates with the puck against the Washington Capitals in game five of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 21, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) skates with the puck against the Washington Capitals in game five of the first round of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nikita Zaitsev (A-)

I was toying between a B+ and an A- for this one.

The reason I opted for the better grade was because I think my expectations for him were too high.

He didn’t meet all of them in the end, but he still had a heck of a rookie year.

And I know, calling him a rookie doesn’t feel quite right.

Still, he came in a logged some heavy minutes on the top defensive pairing for most of the season, scoring four goals and 36 points.

Not bad by any stretch of the imagination.

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