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Toronto Maple Leafs: Top 4 Breakout Candidates for 2021-22

By Stephen Nixon

MONTREAL, QC - MAY 24: William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Three of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 24, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - MAY 24: William Nylander #88 of the Toronto Maple Leafs celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Three of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Bell Centre on May 24, 2021 in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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May 8, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16)  Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
May 8, 2021; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner (16)  Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1: Mitch Marner

You’re probably wondering to yourself; “How did Mitch Marner make this list? He’s led the Leafs in scoring, three out of the last four seasons and finished fourth in NHL points last year!”

That’s all correct, but hear me out.

Marner is an exceptional talent that gets very little respect from the Leafs fanbase. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t score like Matthews, makes a ton of money or because his dad speaks out when he shouldn’t, but he’s arguably one of the top-five most skilled players in the NHL.

Marner puts up points at an exceptional pace and by playing beside Matthews for another season, that’ll will only continue, but at a better rate. Last year was the first real season that these two guys played together and they showed how dangerous they could be.

With one more year of offseason training to get stronger and another year of chemistry, Marner is going to lead in the NHL in scoring, for a player not named Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl.

In a real 82-game season, expect Marner to score more than 100 points for the first time in his career with a stat-line of 30 goals and 80 assists.

Throughout the offseason, Marner has seen nothing but hate-mail, so when the regular season starts, he’s going to be coming out guns-blazing and not only lead the Leafs in scoring, but be close to the league lead.

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