Toronto Maple Leafs News and Notes, Player Stats and Quotes, Week 4.

Each week I will dive into team news and notes for the Toronto Maple Leafs.  I will highlight the game of the week, the player of the week, and provide some fun quotes and observations as we break the season into weekly segments.

In week 4, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a rare 5 day break to recoup and get some practice time in.  They then crushed the Vancouver Canucks twice, by a combined score of 12-4, and claimed 1st place in the NHL standings as of Sunday night.

The Leafs also lost Wayne Simmonds who is week-to-week with a wrist injury.  Not only did he have 5 goals on the season but he’s been such a positive influence on this team’s mental approach to the game that I’m not sure he can be replaced, even in the short term.

I have to say, considering the Leafs are in 1st place, there is too much negativity and skepticism surrounding the team right now.  Can Leaf fans not just enjoy some success?  Are we so worn down from years of futility that we cannot honor a good team when we get one?  Because we have a good team.  We have a really good team.  Hockey is fun and it’s a really good time to be a Leaf fan.  It’s OK to get on this train.  Enjoy the ride.

Game of the Week

My only choices here were two blowouts.  Talking about the first game would seem like gloating, because the Canucks just didn’t show up for that one at all.  So, I’m going with the second game on Saturday night, where the Leafs completely dismantled a struggling Canucks team 5-1.

Hey, the score is bad, I know, but at least Vancouver showed up and put in a little effort with a 47.7 CF%.  It’s something.  And right now, Canucks fans desperately need something because Vancouver looks genuinely horrible.

Quick question for Canucks fans, should Edler retire?  I know the Leafs are a tough cover but he doesn’t look like an NHL level defenseman anymore.  He’s had a great career and been good for a long time, but man did he struggle in these two games.

The most encouraging sign from the 5-1 win?   The fact that the Leafs never really took their foot off the gas.  They never let up.  They pushed the pace and came at the Canucks all game, even in the third when the game was basically over.  This is an indicator of a team that is building a winning mentality.

Also of note in this game, Brodie is an incredible passer.  He made half a dozen really good passes in this game to exit the defensive zone and push the Leafs up the ice.  He looks much more comfortable after a slow start and all of a sudden the Leafs D isn’t being talked about that much.

Speaking of the Leafs D, with the way that Holl is playing, and the fact that Lehtonen actually looked good, this group of defenseman may be the best we’ve seen in Toronto in years.  Maybe we should give Dubas a little bit of credit for what is looking like a fantastic off-season.

Player of the Week

Hello again, Nick Petan, it’s nice to finally see the real you sir.  He played in both games this week and I know it’s only a two game sample, but it’s worth highlighting anyway.  He’s put up 66.7 CF%, 70 FF%, 77.3 xG%, and he has not been scored on, as part of a new-look 4th line that is really playing well (all stats via naturalstatrick.com).

His assist on Thursday night was a beautiful saucer pass, during a perfectly executed 3 on 2, that set up Jason Spezza for his 2nd goal of the game.

That pass was was incredibly difficult and here is the Spezza hat trick video  for those that need another look at how much talent Petan really has.

Keefe has been searching for consistent production out of the 4th line all season, and he’s finally found it.

Is it a coincidence that Petan was inserted into the line-up for both games that the 4th line dominated play?  I watched the games, and Petan looked really good all over the ice.  I think he’s added some different chemistry to the line that both Spezza and Boyd have benefited from.

Keefe talked about how great his attitude has been even though he wasn’t even on the taxi squad to start the season.  Remember, Petan last played in an NHL game on 12-12-2019.  That’s almost 14 months.  He came in cold off that layoff and basically showed zero rust.  Zero.  It’s just worth noting how incredible that is.  That’s why he gets my player of the week.

News and Notes

This Spezza hatrick shows evidence that the fountain of youth is hidden somewhere on Maple Leafs property.  In fact, that second goal highlights everything that was so impressive about the game in general; the perfect 3 on 2 by the new 4th line, the crazy awesome pass Brodie makes to get it started, and the amazing saucer pass by Nick Petan.  Not many 4th lines in the NHL can look like that.

The Leafs play Montreal twice this coming week, and so the battle for the division will intensify.  The Habs are good.  In fact, they might be really good.  When was the last time the Leafs and Habs went toe-to-toe for a division title?  1967?  Nope.  Toronto beat Montreal for the Cup that season, but the Chicago Black Hawks actually won the division.  It was way back in 1946-47, the Habs won the division, finishing 6 points ahead of the Leafs.

The idea of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal playing each other 10 times is pretty awesome.  The fact that they are the two best teams in the division, and will probably battle right til the end to see who finishes on top, well, that’s just the stuff hockey dreams are made of.  Watch these games people.  Enjoy them.  We may never see anything like this again.

Is Matthews having a Hart trophy season?  8 straight games with a goal.  Leads the NHL with 11 goals on the year.  As wonderful as all the highlights have been, I’ve started noticing something very consistent in his game this year.  I’ve been noticing his defensive contributions.  Not just a couple here and there that can be used by the broadcast to promote his defensive game, I’m talking about noticing him having a positive defensive impact on the game on almost every single shift.

I take notes while watching games.  I scrolled through my notes for every game this year and his name kept coming up.  I actually mentioned him more often defensively than I mentioned him offensively.  That’s crazy right?  Maybe not.  It’s important to note that offense is rare in the NHL, as in players don’t really score all that much considering the games are 60 minutes long (or more).

A player actually has many more opportunities to impact the game defensively than they do offensively.  So, the fact that I scribble #34 so frequently for his defensive plays, and less for his offensive ones, just means that he’s adding value whenever he takes a shift, regardless of where that shift takes place.

A lot of my notes have him playing down low and helping the D retrieve the puck, using his body to win a puck battle defensively, intercepting passes by being in the right spot, stripping pucks and hounding puck carriers into mistakes, protecting pucks and using patience to avoid fore-checkers, and always moving to provide an outlet for his D.  He doesn’t do fly-bys in the defensive zone.  He stops and battles, supports both his D, and covers the front of the net.

Add to that the fact that he back-checks consistently, leads all Leafs in takeaways, and has won 53.7% of face-offs, and he really doesn’t get enough credit for his 200 ft game.

Considering how dominant he is offensively, the fact that he is becoming such a good two-way player down the middle is even more impressive.  He’s going to put himself into the conversation for the both the Hart and the Selke if he continues to show improvements like these in his game.  He is simply becoming a genuine force all over the ice and getting to watch his evolution as a player has been a real treat.

Stat of the Week

6.45%

That is the simple % calculation of NHL teams that have shown support to the PWHPA (Professional Womens Hockey Players Association).  2 out of 31 teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers, have established partnerships with the PWHPA in order to support and grow women’s hockey around the world.  The NHL should be ashamed of that number.

The market for hockey has become almost saturated in terms of it’s ability to grow a male audience.  Canada isn’t really going to grow anymore in that demographic, in fact, it’s probably in danger of shrinking.  The U.S. has some growth potential but it’s limited by the other national sports that have much larger market shares like football, basketball, and baseball.  Europe has some areas like Germany and Switzerland that are still evolving hockey markets, but many of the other countries where hockey is popular are also capped out.

So where do we grow the game?  China?  I’m not sure that’s the best plan, I mean they would have to develop their own league for that to have any real possibility, and that is many years away even if it somehow became a reality.

This leads to the next, and I believe best, opportunity to grow the sport that we love so much.  Women.  Women play hockey too.  Not only do women play, but they have family members, friends, and colleagues, all of whom can become fans of hockey.  The potential for growth in women’s hockey is HUGE.  The potential for the growth of hockey, through the growth of women’s hockey, is substantial.  This is the one area that I believe the NHL has neglected during Gary Bettman’s tenure as commissioner.  He’s done a fantastic job growing the game among men in the U.S., but he’s done almost nothing to grow the game among women.

Brendan Shanahan on the partnership;

“Over the years, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been committed supporters of women’s hockey,” Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said. “Beginning with Brian Burke’s initial support of the now-disbanded CWHL and continuing today, the Maple Leafs stand in support of Jayna Hefford and the PWHPA and recognize their efforts and incredible sacrifice in their determination to form a single, unified, sustainable professional league. Women’s hockey deserves nothing less.”

I’m glad that two teams have stepped up to do the right thing.  Not only is it the right thing for women and equality, but it’s also the right thing for the sport.

Just another reason why Toronto Maple Leafs fans can be proud of the team they support.  Thank you MLSE.