3 Toronto Maple Leafs Exceeding Expectations Early

It has now been ten games in for the Toronto Maple Leafs 2021 season and there are a handful of players who have been exceeding expectations so far.

Through ten games the Toronto Maple Leafs have played some very good hockey which has seen them flat out dominate opponents, and then we’ve seen them win some pretty ugly nail-biting games as well.

In this article we are going to discuss three players who are exceeding expectations so far in the young season.  Players like Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are playing great, but we expect them to.

Today we will discuss three players who have done more than anyone thought possible.

3. Joe Thornton – 41 years old – C

2020-21 stats – 5 GP – 1 G – 1 A – 2 PTS – 67.27 CF%

Now despite Joe Thornton only playing in five out of the ten games so far through the early going of the season due to a rib injury, he has looked phenomenal nonetheless alongside two stars in Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. Being 41 years old there were a ton of questions as to why Sheldon Keefe decided to slot Thornton on that top line with Matthews and Marner, however, it’s looked pretty good thus far.

Although people may not like the idea of Thornton playing on the top line with two guys that play a very fast offensive game, the fact is that he’s performed well in a role that was a surprise to pretty much everyone.  And, it’s not like the Leafs don’t switch things up – while Thornton was healthy, Zach Hyman was still getting ice time on the top line, since Marner and Matthews are obviously going to get more ice  time than the 41 year old Thornton.

Through five games Thornton has one goal and one assist which he recorded in the same game against the Ottawa Senators as the Toronto Maple Leafs picked up a 3-2 win on the road. Yes, two points in five games might not be eye-opening to a lot of people but remember the man is 41 years old and only averaging around 15 minutes a night.

If you want to take a deeper dive into how well Thornton has played as a Maple Leaf through five games, he currently leads the team in two of these three pretty major analytics categories, which are 67.27 CF%, 50.00 GF%, and a 61.41 xGF%.

Those numbers might be very good for the 41-year-old, however, he has only played 62:27 total minutes compared to other teammates so that’s why his numbers remain this high, but nonetheless, his numbers are good and he has looked good on the ice as well.

He is also slotted on the team’s first powerplay unit with Matthews, Marner, Simmonds, and Rielly so he can boost his individual scoresheet numbers as well. The Leafs are definiteily looking forward to Thornton returning as soon as possible. (Stats from NaturalStatTrick.com)