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5 Biggest Questions Surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs

By Stephen Nixon

TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 07: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his game winning goal at 13:10 in overtime to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 07, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ONTARIO - AUGUST 07: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his game winning goal at 13:10 in overtime to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on August 07, 2020 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images) /
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Toronto Maple Leafs
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – NOVEMBER 02: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs  (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

#4. Is the Defense Core Good Enough?

Short answer: Maybe?

I know it’s cliché, but it all comes down to health. Three of the top-four defenseman are the exact same as last year, but when Morgan Reilly and Jake Muzzin got injured, the team fell apart defensively. (Though, really, which NHL team is going to succeed without their two top defensemen?) If the team can stay healthier on the blue-line, then this will be the best defensive core we’ve seen in maybe 20 years.

Bogosian and Sandin/Dermott will probably split time on the team’s blue-line, but if Mikko Lehtonen plays every night, the Leafs will be a great position. Lehtonen won the KHL Defenseman of the Year award last season, so there’s a ton of hype about him. However, the fact that he’s playing on the bottom-pair to start the season will be great for him. I know the team doesn’t have much time to work with it, but easing him into the NHL will be a great way for him to develop.

Obviously we don’t know what will happen until they play the games, but on paper this defensive-core is stacked. There shouldn’t be as many defensive breakdowns as there were in year’s past, unless injuries occur.

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