Toronto Maple Leafs: Recapping the 2019-20 Season
The Toronto Maple Leafs season has stopped and there’s no return date in sight, so let’s reflect on the season that was.
Sure, it’s quite possible that the Toronto Maple Leafs season will resume and they’ll still have 12 games left to make the playoffs, but that’s unrealistic.
Although it feels like months since we last saw an NHL game, it was only a few short weeks ago that the season was halted.
When the season stopped, the Leafs were currently in a playoff spot, hanging on by a thread. The Florida Panthers were only three points back with a game in-hand and there was no guarantee of a Wild-Card birth if they didn’t finish top three in the Atlantic division.
This season has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions. With huge expectations, the team hasn’t delivered, despite looking dominant at times. With plenty of key injuries, shaky goaltending and a coaching change, tied-11th in total points isn’t entirely that terrible.
At the end of the day, it’s all about making the playoffs and if you can get into the dance, you have a shot at winning the cup. Both the 2006 Edmonton Oilers and 2012 Los Angeles Kings made the Stanley Cup Final as an eighth-seed, with the Kings actually winning it all.
Although the script seemed written on the Leafs season, they still had another 12 games remaining to change the narrative.
This team has reminiscent of the story of Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde . You never know what team was going to show up each night, which actually made it fun.
Therefore, let’s recap the season and remember the roller-coaster ride that was.
October, 2019 (Record: 6-5-3)
With the optimism in the air thanks to a new season, October is always a happy time in Leafs nation.
The 2019-20 home opener will always be a night to remember, except maybe for Jason Spezza.
After much speculation, John Tavares was named captain of the Maple Leafs during the pre-game ceremony. The Leafs won 5-3 against the Ottawa Senators that night, and were on their way to a perfect 82-0 record.
Unfortunately that was only one of a few highlights, as October was a month to forget.
Good:
- Auston Matthews, as expected, was incredible to start the season. Matthews didn’t show any off-season rust starting the season with 11 goals in his first 14 games.
Bad:
- After being named captain and scoring 47 goals the year prior, Tavares was expected to have another monster season. Unfortunately, Tavares suffered a broken finger which kept him out of the line-up for two weeks.
Fun Fact of the Month:
- There was no home-ice advantage for the Leafs in the month of October. The team only won four of their nine home games.
November, 2019 (7-6-1 record)
November started with three consecutive wins to get the Leafs off to a great start.
However, the defensive woes came back not long after that win-streak. As an offensive juggernaut, the Leafs always have a chance to outscore their opponent and win a high-scoring game.
However, the Leafs had allowed four goals or more in 12 of their first 23 games, so outscoring opponents became harder on a consistent basis. As a result, the Leafs made the decision to fire Mike Babcock and bring in Sheldon Keefe to help, and that’s exactly what happened.
Good:
- Sheldon Keefe was hired and went 4-1 in November. In those five games, the Leafs only allowed four or more goals once, so the defensive play was off to a better start.
Bad:
- An off-season firing is one thing, but making a coaching change in November meant that there was serious issues with the Leafs.
Fun Fact of the Month:
- Frederick Andersen had a tremendous month, finishing with a 7-3-1 record and .938 save percentage.
December, 2019 (9-3-1)
All Kyle Dubas wanted was consistent play for Christmas and he got that in the month of December.
Between December 7 and December 28, the Leafs won eight of their nine games making fans ecstatic. Everyone was talking about how Sheldon Keefe saved the season and that his up-beat coaching style was exactly what this team needed.
Heading into the New Year, things looked really good. Their team defense looked great and they were scoring at will.
Good:
- Everything? Plan the parade, the Leafs are back! In terms of a specific player, Mitch Marner had a tremendous month with 19 points in 12 games.
Bad:
- Injuries piled up in December: Jake Muzzin broke his foot, Andreas Johnsson went on LTIR with a leg injury, and Ilya Mikheyev suffered a significant wrist laceration.
Fun Fact of the Month:
- Michael Hutchinson finally recorded his first win as a Maple Leaf this month! Hutchinson was victorious in a 4-1 win against Detroit on December 21.
January, 2020 (5-3-2 record)
Although there was a few games the Leafs would love to forget, it was a good month overall.
Michael Hutchinson recorded his first shutout of the year in a 3-0 win against New York Islanders, and was playing much more consistent. The back-up goaltender situation was an issue all year, but for a moment it felt like it could have solved in-house with Hutchinson.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a tough stretch heading into the NHL All-Star break, but were extremely motivated afterwards with two huge road wins in Nashville and Dallas.
Good:
- Auston Matthews, Frederick Andersen and Mitch Marner were all selected to the 2020 NHL All-Star Game. This was the first time that Andersen and Marner were participants in an All-Star team.
Bad:
- Toronto suffered another significant injury to their blue-line. Morgan Rielly fractured his foot in an 8-4 loss to Florida, and was out a minimum of eight weeks.
Fun Fact of the Month:
- With nine goals in his last 10 games, Auston Matthews now has 21 goals in his last 23 games.
February, 2020 (8-6-1 record)
This month was filled with plenty of highs and lows. After every big win, it felt like a deflating loss came next.
With the NHL Trade Deadline taking place in February, there was plenty of optimism that the Leafs were going to secure some grit, a back-up goaltender and potentially another defenseman.
Two of those three problems were addressed, and as a result, the team seemed to be more well-rounded than they were earlier in the year.
Good:
- Jake Muzzin signed a four-year extension with the Leafs keeping him here until the 2023-24 season. In addition, the Leafs added two of his former teammates in the acquisition of Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford on February 5, 2020.
Bad:
Fun Fact of the Month:
March, 2020 (1-2-1 Record)
Typically, March would be filled with hope and playoff excitement for Leaf fans.
However, due to COVID-19, the Leafs were only able to play four games this month.
The games that the Toronto Maple Leafs Leafs did play were some of the worst losses seen all year. Heading into their only California road-trip of the season, many thought that three easy wins were on the horizon, however the opposite happened with three losses.
Although the NHL did the right thing in postponing games, it would have been interesting to see how this month ended up for the Leafs, being as it was their most important stretch of the season.
Good:
- Frederick Andersen looked incredible in his two starts this month. Andersen stopped 62 of 63 shots he faced, and picked up a shut-out in a 1-0 shootout loss to Los Angeles.
Bad:
- Losing three of their four games this month is bad, but the season stopping due to COVID-19 is obviously more significant.
Fun Fact of the Month:
- With 47 goals scored, and 12 games remaining, Auston Matthews had a legitimate shot at catching Rick Vaive’s record of 54 goals scored in a single season.