3 Toronto Maple Leafs that Need to Bounce Back Next Year
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to need bounce back seasons from a few players if they hope to compete for a Stanley Cup next season.
Whether due to slumps or injuries, the Toronto Maple Leafs had some players who didn’t live up to expectations last season. Auston Matthews and William Nylander met or exceeded expectations, but some other members of the team are going to need to bounce back.
With a down year the previous season comes the hope of a bounce back season the following year, for example we’ve seen it with William Nylander, and now we need to see it again next season with a couple others.
Last season three particular Toronto Maple Leafs caught my eye during the season and I think they should and need to have somewhat of a bounce back season next year.
3. John Tavares – 30 years old – C
2019-20 stats – 63 GP – 26 G – 34 A – 60 PTS – 53.2% CF%
Career stats – 814 GP – 345 G – 424 A – 769 PTS – 51.5% CF%
It’s not that Tavares was terrible last year, he wasn’t. It’s just that he didn’t live up to the expectations he created when he signed his contract and then proceeded to score 47 goals.
Tavares has an $11M AAV and if though this could be the start of a decline, I am not too concerned about that given his generally solid play and the fact that he injured his hand, missed seven games and didn’t seem to be himself for a large portion of the season afterwards.
He potted home 47 goals and 88 points in his first year in the blue and white and followed it up with a strange season this year, putting up only 27 goals but still 60 points in 63 games. Like I said, not a bad year, but one in which I think its fair to expect him to improve upon.
John Tavares is known for his goal scoring ability as well as his play making ability as he has a great set of hands as well and sets up his line mates very well.. All in all if the Leafs get 47 goal John Tavares, they’re going to be unstoppable as Matthews enters his prime. (Stats from Hockey-Reference.com)
2. Pierre Engvall – 24 years old – LW/C
2019-20 stats – 48 GP – 8 G – 7 A – 15 PTS – 51.9% CF%
Career stats – 48 GP – 8 G – 7 A – 15 PTS – 51.9% CF%
At my number two spot on this list I have someone who made their NHL debut this season, Pierre Engvall. He debuted in the NHL this past season on November 19, 2019 against the Vegas Golden Knights where he logged a decent 9:27 minutes of ice time in a 4-2 loss. He started his rookie season pretty strong in my opinion, playing consistent third and or fourth line minutes as well as the penalty kill he was a strong presence on the team which went well with the production he was generating on the offensive side in the first half of the season.
Although if you fast forward to the second half of the 2019-20 season Pierre Engvall took a massive decline in his game on the offensive side of the puck, then again he was still good on the defensive side of things.. In his first 27 games as put up a pretty good stat line of 7 goals and 7 assists for 14 points while also being a key player on the teams penalty kill.
However in his last 21 games of the regular season he only potted home 1 goal and it came against none other than the Carolina Hurricanes when David Ayres was in net and we all know how that game ended so I don’t have to remind you guys.
Pierre Engvall also re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the season to a two-year $1.25M AAV contract, so his production not only on the defensive side of the puck but also on the offensive side of the puck next season is going to very, very important for him, especially if he wants to remain on this team.
The Leafs have added a ton of depth this offseason and Pierre Engvall is going to have to bounce back to the form that saw him earn a contract extension if he wants to keep his job.
1. Frederik Andersen – 30 years old – G
2019-20 stats – 52 GP – 29 W – 13 L – 7 OTL – 2.85 GAA – .909 SV%
Career stats – 369 GP – 213 W – 92 L – 45 OTL – 2.63 GAA – .917 SV%
Coming in at #1 is none other than the back bone to this team, Frederik Andersen. This should be no surprise. After recording statistically his worst season as an NHL goalie he will need to be looking to bounce back in a major way.
With the recent additions the Leafs made this off-season, I can strongly say Andersen will bounce back next season. Like I have said in previous articles about Frederik Andersen, he has been such a consistent goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs, however he is also one of, if not the most over worked goalie in the whole league. If the Leafs and Andersen want to succeed in the long run then they should put a limit on the amount of games he plays in a season, especially now with Campbell and Dell as the number two and three goalies.
Again the Toronto Maple Leafs season kind of depends on how well Andersen plays and if he can carry this team like he has done more often than not in recent years
All in all, if Andersen bounces back to his previous form, the Leafs chances to win the Stanley Cup will improve greatly.