We all know the recent playoff history for the Toronto Maple Leafs and how the team can never seem to find a way to get past the first round.
Many factors go into having a successful playoff run and the Maple Leafs always seem to be lacking one or more of those factors.
The truth is, that even if a team makes it to the Stanley Cup Final if they don’t win the Cup then their playoffs were not a success.
Only one team can rightfully say that they had playoff success and that is the team who hoists the Stanley Cup.
Toronto Maple Leafs Have Scoring Depth
It is no surprise to anyone that Toronto has a bounty of players who can put the puck into the back of the net.
The first player on the list is Auston Matthews, who just scored his 40th goal of the season. He has scored 40 or more goals in three of his first five seasons in the NHL. Behind Matthews, the team has Mitch Marner (20 goals), John Tavares (18), William Nylander (17), and Zach Hyman (15) in their top five in scoring.
Scoring goals becomes a bit harder in the playoffs, but the Leafs have a steady supply of goal scorers in their lineup.
Toronto Maple Leafs Have Grit
This past off-season, Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas said he wanted to make the Leafs harder to play against. To do that, he brought in players like Wayne Simmonds, Zach Bogosian, and T.J. Brodie to start the season. Then at the NHL trade deadline, Kyle Dubas added Nick Foligno.
Brodie has been great defensively for the Maple Leafs and has shown a knack for breaking up two-on-ones. He currently has 83 blocked shots on the season and will be counted on heavily in the playoffs. Simmonds gives the Leafs someone who can get under the skin of their opponents and drop the gloves when needed. He also gives the team someone who can cause havoc in front of the other team’s net.
Bogosian adds another physical presence to the Leafs defense to go along with Jake Muzzin. Although Bogosian is out with an injury right now, he should be back in the lineup for round two of the playoffs should Toronto make it that far.
Foligno is like a bulldog when he is engaged in a puck battle. He is willing to take a hit to make a play and is also likely to make a few hits himself. He has 125 hits this season, 16 of those in just five games played with the Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs Have Defensive Depth
When the 2021 NHL playoffs start, the Leafs top four will likely look like this;
Morgan Rielly – T.J. Brodie
Jake Muzzin – Justin Holl
The bottom pair will likely feature Rasmus Sandin and Travis Dermott, but the Leafs also have Benn Hutton and, when he is healthy again, Zach Bogosian.
The team has more depth on defense than they have had in many years. Injuries can happen at any time and I think that head coach Sheldon Keefe is confident with any of these nine players in his lineup.
Toronto Maple Leafs Have Goaltending Depth
For years the Leafs have had to put all their trust in Frederik Andersen, but now we’ve reached a point where Andersen will likely be the backup goaltender to Jack Campbell.
When Andersen got hurt on March 20th, it was Campbell that took this team on his back and won his first 11 games of the season. That 11-0-0 start is a new NHL record.
In 21 games this season, Campbell has an impressive 17-2-2 record with a 2.11 GAA and a .923 SV%. He has earned the right to be the team’s starting goaltender when the playoffs start.
In case Campbell and Andersen were not enough, the Leafs also have David Rittich and Michael Hutchinson on their depth chart.
Toronto Maple Leafs Have Leadership
Team captain John Tavares has more than his fair share of guys in this Maple Leafs lineup to help with the providing leadership. The team has Joe Thornton (179 playoff games), Jason Spezza (85), Muzzin (59), and Simmonds (44).
These guys have seen it all when it comes to playoff hockey and can help the younger guys who might face challenges they’ve never faced before.
Muzzin and Bogosian have won the Stanley Cup and know what it takes to make it through round after round of playoff hockey.
I think this Leafs team is the best constructed Leafs team that Toronto has had in a long time. This team has all the tools of Leadership, Depth, Speed, Skill, and Grit. All the ingredients for a long playoff run.