The 3 Biggest Surprises So far for the Toronto Maple Leafs

With a record of 7-2-1, the Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a good start. In a season where teams are playing only those in their division, every point means that much more.

Toronto will need to build off of their good start and try to create more distance between themselves and the teams behind them. By the end of February, we should start seeing some distance forming between the top and bottom teams.

The good news for the Maple Leafs is, I don’t think they’ve reached their best yet for this season. They are getting close, but they are not quite there. We should start to see them hit full stride soon, and that will be exciting to watch.

February could be a big month for the Leafs, but as we all know, nothing comes easy in the NHL. They will probably lose a game or two that they should have won, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

From the outside looking in, three things have surprised me the most this season so far. Here is a look at each of those things.

Toronto Maple Leafs Power Play

The Maple Leafs  power-play has been great through the first ten games. In those ten games, Toronto has 13 power-play goals out of 30 power-play opportunities. That gives them a power-play percentage of 43.3%, which is the best in the NHL right now.

A key factor in this success can be attributed to new assistant coach Manny Malhotra. He shifted the focus from having the first power-play unit being loaded with all the top players, to two well-balanced power-play units.

He has also implemented a heavy net-front presence to create havoc in front of the opposing team’s goalie. So far, it all seems to be working in his and Toronto’s favor.

Wayne Simmonds

When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Wayne Simmonds, it wasn’t clear which Simmonds we were going to see. Would Toronto get the Simmonds who scored eight goals last season or the Simmonds who scored 17 goals two seasons ago? He has three goals in ten games so far, so things look good so far.

He has been a nice addition to the Leafs’ power-play. You will always find him parked in front of the net and creating havoc in front of the goalie. Two of his three goals have come on the power-play, so what he’s doing seems to be working. Let’s hope the goals and points keep coming for Simmonds.

Justin Holl

So far this season, it looks like Justin Holl has taken that next step. His overall game has improved significantly from last season. His chemistry with defense partner Jake Muzzin has helped his game. The pair make a good second defense pairing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Holl is averaging about 22 minutes a game and playing a shutdown role against the other team’s top lines. That is no easy task, but he seems to be handling it well. He has five assists, which have all come at even strength. His Corsi For % at even strength has gone up from 52% last season to 54.5% so far this season. (naturalstattrick.com).

Let’s hope that his numbers and overall play continue to climb in the right direction as the season moves forward. It is clear that head coach Sheldon Keefe trust Holl and Muzzin, so it’s nice to see them do well and keep that trust.