Toronto Maple Leafs Year in Review: 2019-20 Season Awards
The Toronto Maple Leafs had a very eventful season
The Toronto Maple Leafs had tons of different storylines to follow for the 2019-20 season. Firing Mike Babcock, the various injuries that plagued the team, and Auston Matthews’ journey to 50 goals were just some of the many narratives that many Leafs fans followed along this year.
Although there are no official announcements of the season coming to a cancellation during these unprecedented times, the best players on the Toronto Maple Leafs this season can probably be determined without the final twelve games of the regular season being played.
Hart Trophy – Auston Matthews
Absolutely no surprises here. Auston Matthews developed his game tremendously this season as a goalscorer, becoming a threat from all areas on the ice, as well as developing different aspects of his defensive game as the season progressed.
As if 47 goals and 33 assists for 80 points through 70 games wasn’t enough to make my argument, his constant criticism for defensive responsibility does not really reflect the statistics.
Despite having the second most ice time on the Toronto Maple Leafs, Matthews managed to have the third highest on-ice save percentage (92.3%), while also having the most blocked shots of any forward on the team (53), and was one of the best players in goals against/60 minutes with 2.25.
The strides Auston Matthews has made in terms of maturity and growth as a young superstar bodes well for fans as the Toronto Maple Leafs 2019-20 MVP will only get better as the years go on.
Norris Trophy – Jake Muzzin
With Morgan Rielly being out for majority of the season due to injury, Jake Muzzin stepped up tremendously as a leader on the blue line with a lot of outside pressure from fans and media to carry the defensive load of this team, which is no easy task.
While his point production isn’t as flashy as other top pairing defensemen in the NHL, Muzzin does everything the Leafs need him to do. He kills penalties, brings a physical edge, and can hold it down in their own zone when needed.
Similarly to someone like Zach Hyman, the statistics do not reflect the overall value of Jake Muzzin, as his extended time out of the lineup was a huge moment where fans got to realize his true value to the injury-filled defensive core.
Re-signing Muzzin at the trade deadline will likely pan out to be the right decision as time progresses, as this off-season could see many pieces to this defensive lineup change, and Muzzin is clearly someone who can help this team make a deep playoff run.
Calder Memorial Trophy – Ilya Mikheyev
Ilya Mikheyev came into the league and shocked the hockey world as he was competing as the early favourite candidate for rookie of the year, putting up 23 points through his first 39 games.
Mikheyev’s speed, skill, and offensive consistency being transferred effortlessly from his time in the KHL led him to be a complimentary piece to any of the top three forward lines, finishing 8th on the Leafs in expected goals for with 27.7.
After suffering a wrist laceration in late December which would put him out for the remainder of the season, there was a pretty wide window of opportunity for a lot of other rookies to step in and eliminate Mikheyev from the Calder conversation.
While Rasmus Sandin could definitely enter the conversation for the best rookie on the Toronto Maple Leafs, his individual impact was not nearly as noticeable as Mikheyev’s, but he has shown that he has the makeup of a star offensive defensemen for the future.
Vezina Trophy – Frederik Andersen
There were many times throughout the 2019-20 season where Freddy didn’t look so steady, but the Leafs are always at their best when Frederik Andersen is playing well. Fans got their first glimpse of a season where he didn’t stand on his head every night, and that should be okay.
Andersen still posted a similar numbers in comparison to previous seasons, but was definitely feeling the pressure of having to perform extremely well every night in the event that they could not put up goals (which happened way more often than it should).
Another major factor into Andersen’s “off year”, could be attributed to the backup goalie situation not being ideal, especially for someone who deserves a rest every once in a while.
Having bounced around secondary goaltending options for majority of the year, Jack Campbell finally gave the Maple Leafs another goaltender who they could trust on a nightly basis.
While nobody knows what the future holds for Frederik Andersen in Toronto as his contract expires next season, he has arguably been the Leafs MVP for every other season than this one, and Dubas will have to survey a number of great options if they want to be able to replace him.
Lady Bing Trophy – Jack Campbell
Jack Campbell’s enthusiasm when he was first traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in February was well documented through various interview clips, tweets and other social media posts.
Being as emotionally invested and excited as the supporters are for you to join the team guarantees yourself a soft spot as a fan favourite.
Not to mention that on a number of occasions it seemed that Campbell would go out of his way to try and shield his teammates from criticism after poor offensive performances, and blame a lot of their losses on himself.
As a player, Campbell had a pretty strong outing as the secondary goaltending option in his short time with the Maple Leafs this season. In the 6 games he started, Campbell had a 3-2-1 record with a 2.63 GAA and .915 SV%, playing in some big divisional games down the stretch.
Most Improved Players – William Nylander/Justin Holl
William Nylander
Although this is not a formal award given out to NHL players, if there was anyone in the NHL who were to get it, it would be William Nylander.
Nylander faced some over-the-top criticism last season after a long standoff with Leafs management resulted in a six year extension with an AAV of $6.9 million.
Despite strong peripheral numbers, Nylander posted a mere 27 points through 50 games in the 2018-19 season.
Nylander silenced many of his doubters this year after becoming arguably Toronto’s best offensive option for a good portion of the NHL season. Nylander scored 59 points through 68 games, which included a career-high 31 goals, and was on pace for a 71 points, yet another career-high.
One of the major criticisms that has followed William Nylander, and a lot of the younger stars in the NHL, is their inability to be defensively responsible.
This was just yet another part of Nylander’s game that changed immensely this season, as he had the lowest on-ice scoring chances against of any top six forward on the Maple Leafs (487), and was the fourth-lowest on the team in GA/60 (2.81).
The 2019-20 season was a great bounce back year for William Nylander.
Justin Holl
Justin Holl gets my honourable mention for this award as well due to his impact seemingly coming out of nowhere. Just one season ago Holl played 11 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a healthy scratch for majority of the year.
Holl had a tremendous offseason and he put himself in a position where the Maple Leafs couldn’t help but give him a shot as a top four defensemen, and he has thrived with that opportunity.
While only putting up 18 points this season, Holl was one of the most reliable players on the Leafs when it came to playing in the defensive zone and on the penalty kill.
One of the best managerial decisions the Maple Leafs have made this season has been extending Justin Holl in late December to a three year deal with an AAV of $2 million, which will likely become a bargain as his career progresses.
Next. The Toronto Maple Leafs Top 5 Off-Season Priorities. dark
These awards show one major pattern throughout; a good portion of the value that comes with this Toronto Maple Leafs team is young. The coming seasons will bode well for the development of this young core, and will contribute to their long competitive window for the years to come.