Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable: Full of Surprises

The Toronto Maple Leafs rarely used to surprise us.

As early as four years ago, an era forever to be known as the Dark Ages, this team was inherently predictable. If a coaching decision regarding the fourth line hinged upon either inserting an underrated skill player or a stagnant grinder, it was pretty clear that the Leafs would go with option B. When a free agent hit the market, whose resume of past success seemed obviously unsustainable – say, David Clarkson, for example – you could bet your bottom dollar on the Leafs locking him in for 7 years and regretting almost immediately.

These days, however, no one knows anything.

Sure, you can speculate all you want. Prophesize about signings, roster moves and coaching decisions. But, the guarantee of on-ice success aside, just about everything is firmly on the table.

This season has been no different.

So, this week, the EIL staff put their heads together to answer one simple question:

What is the one thing about this Leafs season that has surprised you? 

I can sum up what has been the most shocking to me so far in two words; Frederik Gauthier.

Look. I have worked the Marlies beat for the last year and a half, watched every single one of Gauthier’s games at the AHL level, and nothing about his performance ever suggested that he’d be a regular NHLer. Gauthier is an offensive black hole. Never, not once, has he cracked the 20-point mark in any of his 4 professional seasons. And while Gauthier is a fantastic defensive centre when up against AHL competition, his footspeed was even lacking there.

So, you can forgive me for being thoroughly shocked when Gauthier managed to etch himself a regular spot on Mike Babcock’s lineup card, even going so far as to suit up for one game while the infinitely more talented Andreas Johnsson watched from the press box.

If you had told me that, during the regular season, Johnsson would be a healthy scratch over Gauthier, I think I would have challenged you to a fist fight.

And yet, what has perhaps surprised me most of all is the fact that Gauthier has largely been fine in the 8 minutes of ice he’s given per night. He’s not going to light up the stat sheet or shut down the opponent’s top competition. But he is a relatively solid, if inoffensive fourth line option, at least until Auston Matthews and William Nylander come back.

That, my friends, is not something I was expecting to say 25 games in.

Hunter Eitel

For the biggest surprise on the Leafs so far, I could’ve taken a few options (the fourth line playing so well, Morgan Rielly’s coming out party as an elite defenseman) but for my money, Frederik Andersen’s other-worldly play has taken me off guard.

Andersen has always been a good goalie. But this year, he’s gone from good to phenomenal. At the time of writing, he’s 12-7-0 with a shutout, a 2.24 GAA and an unreal .931 SV% with a shutout. Those numbers have been a major reason why the Maple Leafs are going to contend for the Atlantic Division title as the season progresses.

As much as I would like Andersen to play fewer games than he did last year (he started 66 games last year for the Leafs) you can’t deny he has the hot glove right now. We all knew the offence was going to be impressive. But Andersen has bucked the trend of slow starts and emerged as one of the best goalies in the NHL as we reach December.

Andersen was always going to the difference between the Maple Leafs contending for the Stanley Cup or the Maple Leafs contending for their third straight first-round exit. He has more than stepped up to carry the team on nights when the offence is flying or nights when the scoring dries up.

Hopefully, Mike Babcock will give him some rest if the Leafs lock up a playoff spot. But, for now, the team should keep Andersen going to rack up some early season wins that will come in handy when February and March hit.

Michael Mazzei

When it comes to the biggest surprises, the strong play of Kasperi Kapanen has to be at the top of my list.

During the offseason, a lot of insiders and experts felt that Kapanen had a legitimate shot at making the opening night roster due to his rising stock. I felt the same way and was even anticipating a serviceable campaign from the Finnish forward on the 4th line.

Due to circumstances beyond his control, Kapanen’s stock has risen considerably. Obviously, the William Nylander holdout has played a factor, but so too was the slow start from Tyler Ennis on the top line.

Then there’s the stuff that Kapanen had control over, including his instant chemistry with Auston Matthews that terrorized the league for weeks until the latter got injured. As a result, Kapanen has become one of the Leafs top scorers and all-around strong performers. At the time of writing, he sits 4th on the Leafs in goals (9), 7th in assists (7), and 4th in points (16).

The two-way play, defensive instinct, a flair for the dramatics, and his speed were always there for Kapanen. Now, he is quickly developing his skill, offensive instinct, and play on the special teams, quickly making him a core piece in the Leafs lineup. Kapanen being on the Leafs roster this late into the season is no surprise because it was expected.

What is a pleasant surprise is just how successful he has been in taking full advantage of the opportunity given to him.

Kyle Cushman

Coming off of a breakout 52-point season and a projected slot on the first powerplay unit, most were optimistic about Morgan Rielly heading into this season. Personally, I was expecting a 50-60 point season with more production on the powerplay.

Last year, Rielly scored 25 of his 52 points on the powerplay. Most were expecting tougher minutes at even strength, with significant production coming on the loaded top powerplay unit. Even with lofty expectations for a defenceman, Rielly has exceeded them tremendously through 22 games. So far, Rielly has tied his career high in goals with nine and is leading the NHL in defensive scoring.

For me, Rielly’s incredible offensive production leads the way in surprises to start the year.

The most surprising aspect to me has been his effectiveness at even strength. It would be one thing if the Leafs first powerplay unit was carrying Rielly’s numbers, but he has been extremely productive at 5-on-5. Eight of his nine goals have come at even strength, as well as 16 of his 26 points. Last year, 48 per cent of Rielly’s points came on the power play. Through 22 games, just 38.5 per cent have come on the man advantage, a surprising total given the effectiveness of the top unit.

With a 14.5 shooting percentage and a 105.27 PDO, we know that Rielly won’t go on to score 97 points. I doubt his goals for percentage stays at 62.79 per cent as well. We all know this pace isn’t sustainable, but it sure is fun to watch.

James Tanner

The most surprising thing to me about the Leafs this year is their success without Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

The Leafs haven’t iced their optimal lineup at any single point this season thus far, but are only a single point out of first place overall. That is impressive, no matter how you look at it.

The thought of a fully healthy and signed Toronto Maple Leafs roster should put terror into the hearts of the rest of the league. If you look at their roster, (Frederik Andersen, Nazem Kadri, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, Jake Gardiner, Kasperi Kapanen, Mitch Marner, etc.) I guess it shouldn’t really be surprising. But the surprise comes when it hits you about just how insanely deep the team is.

They are basically in first place and have the second best player in the world on the sidelines, as well as a forward who is statistically somewhere between their second and fourth best forward.

It’s truly insane.

Thanks for reading!

All stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com