Toronto Maple Leafs 2021-22 Defenseman and Goalie Grades

May 14, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) celebrates with forward Mitch Marner (16) and forward Auston Matthews (34) after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period of game seven of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
May 14, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) celebrates with forward Mitch Marner (16) and forward Auston Matthews (34) after scoring a goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second period of game seven of the first round of the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
1 of 12

As the Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the NHL get set for the beginning of training camp soon, it’s time to reflect on last year’s team.

The Toronto Maple Leafs may not have advanced in the playoffs last season, but it wasn’t the kind of failure seen in years past.

Last year’s version of the Leafs had the misfortune of coming up against the defending back-to-back champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the opening round of the playoffs.  Though they did not win, the Leafs played very well in the series.

The following player grades are based mostly on the regular season statistics, but playoff performance and individual perceptions have been used as well. Ultimately a grade is just an opinion, but we tried to base them in as much fact as we could.

A lot of times, a player’s overall grade can come down to the little things.

A player might of had a great season offensively but played poorly without the puck. The player might have played well in the first half of the season but not so good in the second half. These are a few extra things that get used while grading a player’s overall season performance.  (unless otherwise noted, all stats from Naturalstattrick.com).

We will not be grading players who played ten games or less for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Players not included are Nick Robertson, Alex Steeves, Carl Dahlstrom, Joey Anderson, Nick Abruzzese, Michael Amadio, Joseph Woll, Kristians Rubins, Alex Biega, Kirill Semyonov, Brett Seney, and Michael Hutchinson.