Toronto Maple Leafs: 4 Things That Could Go Wrong
#2. Toronto Maple Leafs: Regression
The Toronto Maple Leafs played better than anyone anticipated in 2016-2017. Because of this, expectations for the team have changed drastically. Is it realistic for us to believe that they will improve next season, or even maintain what they accomplished last year? I hope so, but the NHL is a very tough league to play in and teams adjust quickly.
Last season the Leafs surprised a lot of their opponents. They often came out flying and managed to score a lot of goals in the first period.
After icing six to nine rookies regularly last season, the sophomore slump has to be a concern. I don’t believe this has the same effect on elite talent like Matthews, Marner and Nylander, but that still leaves the possibility of regression for Brown, Hyman and Zaitsev. Brown was a key contributor last season, scoring 17 goals at even strength and 20 in total. Hyman plays a very important role on the team’s top line. Zaitsev recently signed on for seven more seasons and is a key member of the blue line. If these three players struggle to produce and maintain a high level of play it could prevent the team from taking that next step.
Several veterans also had career years in 2016-2017. It may not be realistic to expect Kadri to score 30+ goals. Last year, he nearly doubled his goal total from each of the previous two seasons. He was also riding a 100% increase in his shooting percentage from the previous year. JVR, Bozak and Gardiner all had career highs in points last season, which may not be sustainable.
It’s easy to assume that the Toronto Maple Leafs will just keep getting better. After career years for a number of players, combined with unprecedented rookie campaigns, this may not be the case.
