What Do the Toronto Maple Leafs Need for Christmas
By James Tanner
Eduardo Razo
It’s Christmas time and what better gift for the Toronto Maple Leafs than a healthy Auston Matthews. In his second season, the injury bug has bitten the 20-year-old. Wheather it’s a concussion, back, or wrist problem, Toronto needs a healthy Matthews to go anywhere this season.
A clean bill a health for their star center should sit atop Toronto’s Christmas list.
Next item on their list is consistency, especially for their young forwards in William Nylander and Mitch Marner. Although they’ve shown signs of life, both have endured a rough sophomore season in Toronto. It may be mostly bad luck, as both have crazy-low shooting percentages, but if that’s the case, they need to start getting lucky, because the Leafs really need their production.
If Santa Claus is listening, can he hand these two young forwards consistency for the remainder of the season? When it comes to transactions, it’s time to give Nazem Kadri a winger that can help him create offense with Matthews out. For the most part, Leo Komarov has played on Kadri’s wing, and he’s awful, at least offensively.
In 36 games, both have played together for nearly 400 minutes, and their numbers are horrendous. Their CF% is at 45% (they do take tough minutes, especially at home) and averaging a SF/60 (Shots-For per 60) of 26.56 which is terrible when you take a look at their 32.18 SA/60 (shots-against per 60).
Give Kadri a winger that can complement and get him back on track offensively.
Finally, let’s address their defensive needs. They won’t acquire a stud defenseman, but they should look into a top-four defenseman. Whether it be a Chris Tanev or a Tyson Barrie, these two aren’t number one defenseman but fit into a top-four role. These are the four things I’d be asking Santa if I were Toronto.