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Top 5 Least Memorable Toronto Maple Leafs Moments This Year

By Stephen Nixon

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 25: Dave Ayres signs autographs for fans during the game between the Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes at at PNC Arena on February 25, 2020 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ayres, in emergency relief, recorded eight saves, the win and first-star honors in his National Hockey League debut with the Carolina Hurricanes in their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 22. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 25: Dave Ayres signs autographs for fans during the game between the Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes at at PNC Arena on February 25, 2020 in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ayres, in emergency relief, recorded eight saves, the win and first-star honors in his National Hockey League debut with the Carolina Hurricanes in their game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 22. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 27: Travis Dermott #23 of the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – FEBRUARY 27: Travis Dermott #23 of the Toronto Maple Leafs. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /

#4. Injury-Plagued Season

I know this isn’t one specific moment, but injuries are a narrative that have followed the Toronto Maple Leafs all season.

When the season stopped, the Leafs had lost over 200 man games to injury.

To compare this to last season, at roughly the same point the season stopped, the Leafs had only lost 72 man games to injury.

Injuries happen to every NHL team during every season and although it shouldn’t be looked at as an excuse, it has to be talked about.

The injuries the Leafs saw were not some that could be replaced.

For example, the team saw significant injuries from Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin, Andreas Johnsson, and Ilya Mikheyev, while Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott also missed the start of the regular season.

Rielly and Muzzin are the Leafs top-two defenseman, hands down.

Without out those two in the line-up, the team is significantly worse and you could look at those injuries as a reason to why Freddie Andersen’s numbers have been worse and to why the team’s defense as a whole has suffered.

Johnsson and Mikheyev, although not crucial offensive pieces, are two depth players that make the Leafs top-six much better and balance out the entire line-up. Both can fit in as top-six wingers when paired with Auston Matthews or John Tavares, but balance out a third line that makes the Leafs top-nine one of the best in the NHL.

Johnsson has the ability to be a 20-goal scorer each year, and Mikheyev was on-pace for that same mark before his injury. Not many teams have nine forwards that have the ability to score 20 or more goals each year, but the Leafs did when Johnsson and Mikheyev were in the line-up.

Although Hyman and Dermott both made their way back to the line-up near the end of October and early November, they still had to start the season without a training camp. It’s unsure how much they would have affected the team’s record but October was not a good month for the Leafs so those two in the line-up wouldn’t have hurt the team at at all.

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