Toronto Maple Leafs: Top Stories Heading into Playoffs

Getting Past 1st Round Hump

We all know it has been 17 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs have won a playoff series, but it has only recently become so painfully apparent. In 2017 a young   Leafs team had a gutsy effort, pushing the Washington Capitals to six games.

In 2018 and 2019 Toronto met Boston in the first round and lost both series in seven games.  Last year in the play-in round against Columbus, the Maple Leafs broke our hearts once again by not winning their first series. Four straight years of being bounced in the first round has given Maple Leaf fans anxiety about getting over that first round hump.

The hope this year, is that all of these early exits have been learning experiences for the young core of the  Leafs and that this year is the year they put it all together. I think that it is pretty clear that this is the best opportunity for the  Leafs to get through the first round.

Montreal, of course, will not just lay down and let Toronto skate all over them, but this is not the formidable match up that teams like Tampa Bay and Boston would typically be presenting them. Until the Toronto Maple Leafs get over this first round hump, though, the anxiety from Leafs Nation will be at an all time high.

Elevating Intensity

As we have seen with the playoff series beginning south of the border, the intensity of each game ramps up to a level never seen during the regular season. It has been especially lacking in this North Division, with most games seeming like a scrimmage more than a competitive professional hockey game.

Some of that is due to the condensed schedule, some of it has to do with the fact that the standings have basically been decided since the middle of the season, and a big part of it, in my opinion, has to do with the lack of fans in the building. In the few playoff games so far we have noticed the impact that fans can have in injecting energy into the teams. If the players weren’t fired up before getting out onto the ice they surely got there after walking out to a roaring crowd.

Unfortunately, the Canadian teams will not have the luxury of a raucous crowd pumping energy into the building, so it will be up to the players to inject that energy into their team. The Maple Leafs have been known in recent years as a sort of quiet team that doesn’t do a lot of talking on the bench, according to the various commentators that used to occupy the space between the benches during games.

We haven’t had that particular insight this year, but from watching the games it does seem that the new additions to their team this year have been much more vocal and keeping the other players loose but focused. These veteran players will be crucial in pushing the Maple Leafs intensity levels to where it needs to be successful in the playoffs.

Special Teams/Line Configuration

Though this post was written ahead of last night’s game,  the lines where scheduled to look something like this for game 1:

Hyman Matthews Marner
Foligno Tavares Nylander
Mikheyev Nash Kerfoot
Thornton Spezza Simmonds

Reilly Brodie
Muzzin Holl
Sandin Bogosian

There are some choices in the lineup which may be a surprise. We have not seen Riley Nash in a Maple Leafs uniform yet, but we did get a look at him on the opposite side last year in the play-in series versus Columbus.

Nash is being thrown on a third line with Mikheyev and Kerfoot as a shutdown, defensive zone line, which Keefe truly believes is necessary for playoff success. I am excited to see this line out there, how they mesh together, and how successful they can be at shutting down the oppositions top lines.

Bogosian being back for game 1, after being out with a shoulder injury since April 20th, cannot be understated as an important piece to play with the young Rasmus Sandin, who gets the start over Travis Dermott.

I assume that these lines will likely be shaken up, not just throughout the series but throughout each game as Keefe sees necessary. Injuries are also, unfortunately, part of the playoff experience, so I expect some of the players waiting in the wings – Dermott, Alex Galchenyuk, Pierre Engvall – will at some point get an opportunity to play. Where the Maple Leafs may see the most shuffling is on special teams, specifically on the struggling power play.

The current 1st unit power play has the big four, Matthews, Marner, Tavares, Nylander, with Sandin quarterbacking the point. This unit had not seen a lot of reps during the regular season, but the power play has been so bad the last half of the season that it literally cannot get any worse and could be on the verge of exploding success. They have also been practicing with two PP units with the big four forwards split between the two, which if successful could become the long term plan.

If the Toronto Maple Leafs can get their power play back to the point it was in the beginning of the season they will end up being the most dangerous team in these playoffs. If the  Leafs cannot get their power play going and continues to struggle, it will be imperative for the penalty kill to step up and keep the puck out of their net.

The Leafs were the best 5-on-5 team, statistically, all season, so the special teams will need to at least need to be even for the team to have a successful run.

Team Toughness

During the Mike Babcock era, the Toronto Maple Leafs number one criticism from the fans, media and even Babcock himself, was their lack of team toughness. While I think this has always been a little more overblown and given more importance than it needed, Maple Leafs have addressed this perceived issue and have added players with a little more grit through free agency and trades.

The additions of Bogosian, Simmonds and Foligno gives the Toronto Maple Leafs not just added toughness, but along with a few other veteran additions – Joe Thornton, Jason Spezza, Riley Nash, TJ Brodie – they have added an elevated work ethic for the rest of the team to follow.

The willingness to bring their game to another level has been the missing ingredient in years past, and while they shouldn’t need to fight to be successful in the playoffs, they need to have fight. If these additions can push the core to another level, through ramping up intensity, toughness and energy and keeping it consistent, the Toronto Maple Leafs can cruise through the Canadian division and have an incredible opportunity to play for the Stanley Cup.

Goaltending

Goaltending is a position that garners a ton of attention in most NHL markets, but for the   Leafs it has been the most polarizing position in the playoffs. Frederik Andersen has played well for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the last four playoffs and when observing his numbers seems to have gotten better each year.

Unfortunately, every year Andersen has been outplayed by the opposition’s goalie, and his opportunity to redeem himself may have slipped away.

Jack Campbell has been announced as the starting goaltender for the Maple Leafs in game one. Campbell has been brilliant all year, with a 17-3-2 record, 2.15 GAA and .921 save % ( via NHL.com ) he may have been considered in the Vezina conversation had he played more games.

However, game 1 will be Campbell’s first ever playoff start and no one knows exactly what to expect. What is also interesting is how short of a leash Keefe might have on Campbell. If he loses two games will Keefe go to Andersen? If he has one bad game will Andersen start the next game? Or will Keefe ride Campbell as their number one guy regardless? I believe Campbell will get every opportunity to prove himself and find success in the playoffs, but if the Maple Leafs go down 2-0 to Montreal, I would be shocked if Andersen wasn’t starting game 3.

There have been several examples in recent years of teams using two goaltenders to win the Stanley Cup, so having to switch goaltenders in the playoffs does not necessarily mean that the Maple Leafs will be doomed. It wouldn’t be encouraging of course, but don’t be too discouraged or surprised if the Toronto Maple Leafs do have to use both Campbell and Andersen to get to the promised land.

What we know for sure is, whether both goalies are used or only Campbell, or Campbell, Andersen and David Rittich, the stories will run rampant throughout the entirety of the Maple Leafs post season run.