Toronto Maple Leafs: 5 Reasons to Be Excited for the Playoffs

Toronto Maple Leafs Playoff Excitement

Being in the playoffs is exciting, but there are many factors that go into winning a playoff round. Toronto has yet to find the right formula for winning in the playoffs, but this year could be different. The team’s overall makeup is different from years past, so hopefully, that will be a good thing.

Auston Matthews Being Healthy

Auston Matthews revealed to Jonas Siegel of The Athletic that he’s been playing through a wrist injury most of the season. For anyone who has watched the Toronto Maple Leafs this season, it was obvious that something was bothering Matthews.

His overall game has been great, with 34 goals and 39 assists for 73 points in 64 games. He has also played great without the puck and is very reliable defensively. Matthews also leads all forwards in blocked shots with 84. (Stats from hockey-reference.com)

Over the last few games, Matthews has started to look more like the Matthews from years past, and his scoring touch has returned. His wrist might not be 100%, but it has healed enough for him to be more dangerous with the puck. He will be looking to finish the season on a high note.

With 11 games remaining, Matthews could still finish the season with 40 goals and 90 points. Not bad for a player who’s played through a wrist injury for a large chunk of the season. A healthy Matthews will be crucial to Toronto’s playoff success.

Toronto Maple Leafs Added O’Reilly and Schenn for Stanley Cup Depth

Before the NHL trade deadline on March 3rd, the Toronto Maple Leafs added six new players to their lineup.

Of those six new additions, two of them have Stanley Cup-winning experience. Ryan O’Reilly helped the St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019, and Luke Schenn helped the Tampa Bay Lightning win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.

With three Stanley Cups and 95 playoff games combined, they bring plenty of playoff experience.

Winning the Stanley Cup is a grind, and both Schenn and O’Reilly know what it takes to get through it.

O’Reilly is injured right now but will return in time to play a few regular season games before the playoffs begin.

He could center the second line with John Tavares on his wing, or we will see him center the third line. Maple Leafs head coach could play Matthews, Tavares, and O’Reilly up the middle and force Tampa to try and match up against all three.

With nine defensemen on the active roster, Luke Schenn will likely not play in every game. However, when he is in the lineup, pairing him with fellow newcomer Jake McCabe creates a dynamic shutdown pair. If McCabe and Schenn are able to shut down Tampa’s offense, they could remain a pair throughout the playoffs. Schenn will be relied upon to keep Tampa in check. Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas traded for Schenn due to the fact that Schenn had over 250 hits and is known as the human eraser.

Toronto Maple Leafs Have Plenty of Depth Options

The Toronto Maple Leafs have plenty of lineup options at their disposal. Players like Calle Jarnkrok, Michael Bunting, and Alex Kerfoot can move up and down through the lineup. Whether they play in Toronto’s top-six or bottom-six, they give head coach Sheldon Keefe options.

As insurance for the playoffs, Toronto brought in O’Reilly, Noel Acciari, and Sam Lafferty at the NHL trade deadline. Each player brings a different identity to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

O’Reilly brings leadership, playoff experience, scoring ability and defense. Acciari adds physicality that was lacking in Toronto’s bottom six before the trade deadline. He is also a good penalty killer and plays well defensively. Lafferty brings speed and physicality.

Soon, the Maple Leafs will be signing their top prospect Matthew Knies to an entry-level contract. They are waiting for his NCAA season to end. He is currently in the playoffs, but once his team wins or is eliminated, he will sign his ELC and could join the Leafs for the rest of the NHL regular season and playoffs. Knies is a power forward and could add another dimension to the Maple Leafs lineup.

The Leafs will have all these players, plus Zach Aston-Reese, David Kampf, and Wayne Simmonds. Keefe has all the different types of players needed to match up against any style of play. Toronto has speed, a ton of offense, defensive-minded players, heavy hitters, and good goaltending. They have all the ingredients to succeed. Now we hope it all comes together once the playoffs start.

Goaltending

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had outstanding goaltending this season, and currently sit 6th overall in 5v5 save percentage.

After the tandem of Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek failed to get the job done last season, Toronto GM Kyle Dubas decided to start from scratch. Dubas traded for Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators and signed free agent Ilya Samsonov.

Samsonov is having a very productive season. He has a record of 24-9-3 with three shutouts. His stats are good too. He has a 2.46 GAA and a .914 SV%. Samsonov doesn’t have the same playoff experience as Murray, but I think Samsonov has earned the right to start game one of the first-round series with Tampa.

Murray has missed a bunch of games due to injury, but he’s still having a decent season. He has a 14-7-2 record with one shutout, a 2.92 GAA, and a .906 SV%.

After his most recent injury, Murray struggled with his goal against by allowing four goals in four straight starts, but even that included a 50 save performance again Ottawa. He bounced back nicely on Thursday against the Florida Panthers. He stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced.

Murray brings plenty of playoff experience and has two Stanley Cup rings to prove it. He helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Injuries have hampered him since then, but you never lose that kind of experience. He will be expected to take over if Samsonov falters.

The Core

No matter what happens in the playoffs, fans will be watching to see how well Toronto’s core players perform. The expectations are high for Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander, and Morgan Rielly. This core has been through one disappointing first-round exit after another. The majority of Toronto’s offense comes from these five players. All eyes will be on them to see if they step up their games in the playoffs.

Mitch Marner Leads Toronto Maple Leafs in Points

Marner has 28 goals and 64 assists for 92 points in 71 games. He is still looking for his first 100-point season. Last season he finished with 97 points in 72 games. He had eight points in seven playoff games last season and will need to do the same or better this year.

William Nylander

Nylander is having the most productive season of his NHL career. He has 36 goals and 45 assists for 81 points in 71 games. His 36 goals and 81 points are new personal best. He needs two more assists to set a new personal best in that category. Nylander had seven points in seven playoff games last season. The team and Nylander himself will be looking for more in round one this year.

Auston Matthews

As mentioned earlier, Matthews is not having a stellar season but is still having a good season. It’s hard to top the 60 goals and 106 points he registered last season, but he is still on pace for 40 goals and 90 points. He will be looking to improve on his nine points in seven games from last year’s playoffs.

John Tavares

John Tavares has 30 goals and 42 assists for 72 points in 70 games this season. He is looking to reach 80 points for the second time since joining the  Leafs in the 2018-19 season. Tavares doesn’t have a good playoff track record with Toronto. Hopefully, this year will be different. As the captain, he needs to lead by example.

Morgan Rielly

Morgan Rielly has four goals and 32 assists for 36 points in 55 games. A big dip from his 68-point pace last season.  He had six points in seven playoff games last season. The same or better will be expected.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the favorites to Win the Stanley Cup, but these five players will all need to perform at a high level to make that happen.