Toronto Maple Leafs: Santa Claus’s Gift for Every NHL Team
Central Division
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes would love to see their top line winger, Nick Schmaltz, return to early season form. He began this campaign playing incredibly well, but as quickly as he caught fire, he cooled off even faster. The ‘Yotes aren’t getting Schmaltz’s mojo back. Instead, they’re receiving something much better, a permanent home for the team.
The process is already in motion. The Tempe City Council already voted to approve the proposed arena and an entertainment district. The measure passed with unanimous support. This is significant progress for Tempe to become the permanent home for the Coyotes. Santa’s gift is to ensure that the residents of the city vote to approve the measure once it goes to a local referendum on May 16.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks aren’t going to make the playoffs and even Santa Claus’s magic isn’t strong enough to help them this season. That’s why he’s giving them something better, the chance to have a real fire sale. The Blackhawks’ gift is for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to both waive their no-movement clauses in order to be among the biggest trade targets at this year’s NHL deadline. This will help the Blackhawks kick-start their rebuild.
Colorado Avalanche
The reigning Champions, the Colorado Avalanche, have not looked like the powerhouse they were last season. A big part of that has been injuries. However, as the team begins to once again get healthy, their biggest concern turns to depth.
The Avs present this year is a true NHL fourth line. There are players who have spent time playing in Colorado who are better suited for their AHL farm team, the Colorado Eagles. They include the likes of former Leafs center and reclamation project, Alex Galchenyuk. With this gift, the Avalanche will have only true NHL talent dress for games.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars sit at the top of the division thanks in large part to Jason Robertson’s breakout season. The Stars wish list isn’t long but they’ll get what they really want, which is Robertson to continue producing at his current incredible rate. By season’s end, he will, without question, be the face of the franchise.
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild have been loving the play of Kirill Kaprizov but beyond that, the team has struggled to find ways score on a nightly basis. The Wild will be given the gift of offensive consistency. They’ll no longer need to rely on just Kaprizov to carry the team. With this gift from Father Christmas, more depth players in Minnesota will find the in back of the net and take some of the load off of Kaprizov.
Nashville Predators
David Poile is the President of the Nashville Predators Hockey Operations and their General Manager. His decision making and the franchise’s inability to develop young homegrown talent have all led to his team’s poor play. This is why the Pedators’ present is a new leader at the helm.
St. Louis Blues
The gift for the St. Louis Blues is an end to their goaltender, Jordan Binnington’s antics. There’s no doubt that the club would like the behavior to change.
Jordan Binnington just hit Jason Zucker in the face as he was skating around the net?!#LetsGoPens #STLBlues pic.twitter.com/KnPSo5Ptgt
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 4, 2022
For some reason, Binnington has been unable to get past his rivalry with Jason Zucker. The pair has now had multiple petty interactions. Zucker isn’t the only one to face Binner’s scorn. After losing Game 3 to the Avalanche in last year’s second round, the angered goalie threw a waterbottle at Nazem Kadri.
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are receiving a book of spells. They’ve found themselves in a favorable position in the standing thus far. They’d like to remain in a strong playoff position and to do that they’ll need some magic. That’s where the book of spells will come in handy.
Pacific Division
Anaheim Ducks
Pat Verbeek took control of the Anaheim Ducks as their new general manager on Nov. 10 as a result of Bob Murray’s resignation as Executive Vice President and GM. Mired in controversy over his professional conduct, Murray had to go. What the Ducks need and will be gifted is advisors who can help Verbeek steer his ship out of the NHL cellar. It will not be an easy task, especially for a first-time GM.
Calgary Flames
The last captain of the Calgary Flames is currently patrolling the blue line for the Maple Leafs. No one has worn the C since Mark Giordano’s departure. Calgary’s gift is for a leader to stand out amongst their squad worthy of the captaincy.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have arguably the best offensive duo in the NHL. Unfortunately, they aren’t winning as many games as they should even when the team manages to fill their opponents net with a high number of goals. That’s because the Oilers cannot find a reliable goaltender. Santa will help by giving Edmonton some stability between the pipes. He will return Jack Campbell’s ability to stop pucks. No one knows what happened to it but thankfully, he’s getting it back.
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings present is a contract extension for Gabriel Vilardi. The 23-year-old forward has been a nice surprise for the Kings. After playing primarily for the Ontario Reign in the AHL last season, he’s proven himself to be a true NHLer.
Through Vilardi’s first 35 games, he recorded 22 points on 14 goals and 8 assists. Best yet for LA, he’s been helping the club on an $825,000 salary. That deal expires at season end making Vilardi a restricted free agent (RFA). Though he’ll be due a big raise, the Kings will be happy with their gift of extending Vilardi.
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks present is for their standout defenseman to receive the accolades he deserves. Specifically, it means Erik Karlsson will win the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman. Karlsson has been on an impressive tear racking up points in nearly every contest. Winning the prestigious award means beating out an impressive field that includes Cale Makar, Rasmus Dahlin, Alex Pietrangelo, Adam Fox, and Josh Morrissey; all of whom have a legitimate chance to win the Norris.
Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken’s present is for their pick in the 2022 draft, Shane Wright, to come into his own and begin to meet his potential. Wright was the expected first-overall pick before that spot was taken by Juraj Slafkovsky. Wright surprisingly slid to fourth, where the Kraken took him off the board.
Wright entered the OHL receiving exceptional rookie status, allowing him to begin there a year early. Last season, while playing for the Kingston Frontenacs, the 18-year-old center registered 94 points in 63 games. That came on 32 goals and 62 assists.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights will be receiving a trophy, just not the big one. They’re getting the Calder Trophy. It will be presented to Logan Thompson who was just named the rookie of the month in November. The undrafted goaltender has been standing on his head this year after working extremely hard just to be a professional hockey player. Thompson has come a very long way from playing for the Brock University Badgers.
Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators looks like he will be Thompson’s main competition for the Calder. Matty Beniers, Cole Perfetti, and Mason McTavish are all also making their push to be the league’s top rookie, not knowing that Kris Kringle is already looking after the Golden Knights.
Metropolitan Division
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes will be receiving a big present. They’re going to get Seth Jarvis to return to 2021-22 form. Last year, the forward from Winnipeg, Manitoba, had a 40 point campaign. He tallied 17 goals and 23 assists in 68 games. While he isn’t on that pace yet, the Canes will be ecstatic once he returns to form.
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets will receive the present of Connor Bedard. More specifically, they’ll win the draft lottery giving them the first pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. At this point, Bedard is separating himself from the rest of his cohort and looking like the clear first-overall selection. However, Adam Fantilli’s curious path would make him being the top pick a much better story.
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers get something they desperately need, the ability to win a game in overtime. Las season, the Flyers went 5-11 when free hockey was played. This season, they’ve started out 0-7. They also played one overtime game in the preseason, which they also lost.
Pittsburgh Penguins
When the Pittsburgh Penguins drafted Owen Pickering in the first round, 21st overall, in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, they knew that they had just gotten a player with serious potential. The Penguins gift is for Pickering to play for them in the NHL next season.
Pickering is an offensive defenseman who is currently playing for the Swift Current Broncos in the WHL. There is already the perfect spot on the Pens for him to graduate. Brian Dumoulin is a left-side defender just like Pickering. Dumoulin’s contract is also expiring at the end of the season. If he doesn’t re-sign, then GM Ron Hextall could slide Pickering right in.
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils gift is to raise attendance. Currently, they rank 28th out of the 32 NHL clubs. With the Devils playing spectacular hockey near the top of the standings, they should be looking at far greater numbers and consistent sellouts.
New York Islanders
The gift for the New York Islanders is finding the correct winger for Mathew Barzal. This has been a struggle for the Islanders who have tried multiple players alongside Barzal. Last season, right wing was a revolving door. Oliver Wahlstrom might be the long-term answer the Isles and Coach Lane Lambert are looking for.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers present is to keep the “Kid Line” together for several more years. The line is made up of 21-year-old Alexis Lafreniere, 21-year-old Kaapo Kakko, and 23-year-old Filip Chytil. Lafreniere was the first-overall pick of the 2020 draft. Kakko was drafted second-overall in 2019. Chytil was the Rangers second selection of the 2017 first round. After taking Lias Andersson at seven, Chytil came off the board at 21.
All three players have contracts expiring soon. Both Lafreniere and Chytil become RFAs at season’s end. Kakko has one more year before he becomes an RFA. The Rangers will have a difficult time keeping all three players and fitting them under the cap. It becomes even more difficult as the trio continue to improve. With Santa’s help, the Rangers will see their youth grow together.
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals will receive a glimpse at the future. They will get to see a scene of Alexander Ovechkin in his Capitals jersey breaking Wayne Gretzky’s goal record. The Great 8 surpassing the Great One won’t happen this season. The margin between Ovechkin’s current mark and Gretzky’s record of 894 career goals is far too wide to be reached this season. The preview the Capitals get of the future will give them relief knowing that their star will make history. In fact, they’ll see that Ovechkin will score his 895th goal during the 2024-25 season.
Atlantic Division
Boston Bruins
In the summer, Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked the every club’s NHL pipeline. The Boston Bruins came in dead last. The only player from the organization who made the list at age 23-and-below was Fabian Lysell.
While the Bruins are currently rolling, without a farm system flush with talent, the organization may be in for some future struggles. Jolly Old Saint Nick to the rescue. His gift is to help the Bruins restock their cupboards through drafting wisely and avoiding the urge to trade away key future picks.
Buffalo Sabres
The present to the Buffalo Sabres is for them to qualify for the playoffs. Currently, the franchise looks to be on the bubble as they contend for a wildcard spot. With their budding star Tage Thompson lighting up the league and the resurgence of Jeff Skinner, unwrapping this present in the spring will surely delight Sabres fans.
Detroit Red Wings
The 2021 NHL Entry Draft was a wild one, especially for the Maple Leafs. The Detroit Red Wings may have found a diamond in the rough in that class. In the third round, at 70th overall, they announced Carter Mazur’s name. The 6’0″, 172 lbs left-winger was playing for the Tri-City Storm in the USHL.
While he remains unsigned, Mazur has taken his game to new heights for the University of Denver. The Red Wings are gifted not only Mazur’s signature on an entry level contract but also having him develop into an NHL forward for their club.
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers were hoping to build on their regular season success from last season and lean heavily on their goalie tandem of Sergei Bobrovsky and Spencer Knight to help them do it. So far, that plan has fallen flat with less than desirable performances from the pair.
The gift to the Panthers is for them to sort out their goaltending. Bobrovsky has been dreadful over his past nine decisions, dropping six of them. The 34-year-old owns a 3.25 goals-against average through 20 games along with an .895 save percentage.
Knight is the younger of the Panthers duo at age 21. He hasn’t won a game since December 3. Through his first 16 games of the campaign, he has a more respectable 2.93 goals-against average along with a .909 save percentage. With help from Santa’s gift, the Panthers will gain confidence in their keepers.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens receive the gift of scoring on the power play. According to statmuse, the Habs are currently last in the NHL in power play percentage. After the first 33 games of the season, they have registered just 14 goals with a man advantage. They’ve scored on 13.6-per cent of their power play opportunities. The Oilers lead the league, scoring on 33.1-per cent of their power plays.
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators gift is for them to finalize something that appears to have been in the works for quite some time, bringing Ryan Reynolds in as a part of the organization’s ownership. It has been reported that Reynolds and his group at Maximum Effort have been looking at joining Senators, buying-in as owners.
Having Reynolds in the mix would be great for the organization. He would be able to bring more eyes to the team, much in a similar way that Drake acts as the Global Ambassador for the Toronto Raptors.
Tampa Bay Lightning
The present for the Tampa Bay Lightning is a guarantee that no other club will give defenseman Nick Perbix an offer sheet. The Bolts drafted Perbix in the sixth-round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and he finally earned his first opportunity to play in the NHL this season. Perbix has been a very nice surprise for the team, especially in his ability to be a trusted partner alongside Victor Hedman.
At age 24, Perbix is playing the best hockey of his life and could easily begin taking on a bigger role. While the Lightning are currently enjoying the low salary that playing on an entry-level contract brings, that luxury is coming to an end once the season is over. Perbix will become an RFA in the offseason. While the Bolts may have been worried about losing the young blueliner to an offer sheet, their gift will allow GM Julien Brisebois to negotiate without worry of Perbix being scooped up by a competitor.
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have one need that supersedes any other. They need to win at least one playoff round. That’s the gift they’ve been waiting for since 2004 and the one getting delivered to them.
The trickle down effect from this present may be larger than it appears on the surface. For the city, Toronto Maple Leafs fans will fill their local establishments to cheer and infuse the Greater Toronto Area with an influx of spending. Pumping money into bars and restaurants locally is good for the economy.
For the team itself, there may be wide reaching affects. A second round berth will be excellent for lame duck GM Kyle Dubas. With question marks surrounding his future in the role and with the organization, true playoffs success can provide him with job security. Dubas may be return for more seasons after proving that his moves have the ability to help the team win when the games matter most.
The players themselves may build their confidence. It’s not out of the question that a bona fide star like Auston Matthews may choose to look to capture his first Stanley cup with a different franchise once he becomes an unrestricted free agent. That potential only gets compounded should he and the team be unable to find post season success. Matthews and his teammates need to feel confident that they can win and that together, the Stanley Cup is within their reach.
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For now, Santa can’t deliver the Stanley Cup to Toronto but for the Maple Leafs, a second-round entry is the next best thing.