The Toronto Maple Leafs are back, baby!
The regular season is finally upon us, and the Editor in Leaf staff have been working around the clock to bring you, our loyal readers, right into the middle of the action. Every angle has been covered, and every stone has been overturned.
With so many stories hitting the wall all at once, it’s easy to lose a few in the shuffle. So, enjoy this roundup of this week’s notable pieces.
The Best Roster of the Salary Cap Era
We all know the Toronto Maple Leafs are good, right? #ActuallyGood, even? Well, they are. This team can choose between John Tavares and Auston Matthews are their SECOND LINE centre and follow up either one up with Nazem Kadri to round out their third.
Case in point, this is a phenomenal roster. But is it the best of the salary cap era? That’s what James dove into in his latest piece from this week.
Give it a read.
“The Toronto Maple Leafs got their best player back last night, and they assembled a power play that isn’t even fair. Morgan Rielly, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and Nazem Kadri is the type of lineup you make in a video game, not the something you’re supposed to see in real life.
They are currently the top team in the NHL, and they haven’t dressed their optimal lineup a single time so far this year. William Nylander is on his way back soon , we assume. But what’s more, the Leafs currently have almost $17 million in cap space, according to Cap Friendly.”
The State of the Toronto Marlies
The Toronto Marlies, much like their parent club, are very good at scoring goals. In fact, they lead the entire AHL in that regard through 25 games this season. What has led to their disappointing 8-7-2-2 record thus far is goaltending.
The Marlies have gotten none of it this year. As in, their best netminder barely cracks .900 with his save percentage.
How can the Marlies soldier on? How can these young future Leafs overcome their net deficiencies and make a name for themselves? Hunter tackles that question in his breakdown of the Marlies this week.
“An understandable worry about the Marlies coming into the season was how the team would respond offensively to the departure of players like Ben Smith, Andreas Johnsson and Miro Aaltonen. Through 18 games, the Marlies have silenced any doubt about their offensive abilities. The team has scored 72 goals (4.00 goals per game) and has seen multiple players step up to fill the holes when it comes to scoring.
Chris Mueller is continuing the momentum of his 52 point campaign last year, scoring 16 points in 16 games. Calle Rosen has been the biggest surprise of the season so far, tied with Mueller for the team lead in scoring and tied for sixth among defensive scoring in the AHL with 16 points. The Marlies have eight other players with 10-plus points, including rookies Carl Grundstrom (15 points) and Pierre Engvall (11 points).”
Who Comes Out When Matthews & Nylander Come Back?
This has been a question that has been weighing on this fan base for quite some time.
Nylander hold out aside, a number of players have stepped forward in his absence to become valuable contributors. Do any of them deserve to be kept out of the lineup when the two superstars return? Probably not. But two guys have to. And Frederik Gauthier paid the price in Matthews’ first game back last night.
Who comes out when Nylander rides back into town?
Kyle dives into who he thinks it will be in his piece from this week.
“Tie goes to the veteran, right?
Among the six players potentially on the bubble, Connor Brown easily has the most experience as a Leaf. Gauthier and Leivo have yet to accumulate a full season’s worth of games, Lindholm and Johnsson are rookies, and Ennis is in his first season in Toronto.
Since becoming a regular in 2016, Brown has yet to miss a game. He has scored 20 goals in the NHL, plays on the penalty kill, and is currently on the third line. That’s a strong case to stay in the lineup.”
Thanks for reading!