Playoff Player Grades for Each of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs Defencemen’s Grades
TJ Brodie
Sheldon Keefe showed his confidence in one player more than any other, TJ Brodie. Keefe continued to tap Brodie to come over the bench and log big minutes for the Leafs. He was utilized in every situation and provided some of Toronto’s best zone protection.
Player Grade: B+
Mark Giordano
There was a long stretch in Mark Giordano’s career where he was the most valuable player on the ice. Those days are long behind him. In these playoffs, Giordano may have been an important voice in the dressing room and on the bench. On the ice, however, he was depth player who played minimal minutes.
Player Grade: C
Erik Gustafsson
We didn’t see much of Erik Gustafsson during the playoffs. He played in just two games. Keefe wished he was Gustafsson speed up the game in his small opportunity but unfortunately, there wasn’t much to see.
Player Grade: B-
Justin Holl
There were two different Justin Holl’s in these playoffs. Against the Lightning, he was absolutely dreadful. Holl was a liability for the Maple Leafs. He eventually played himself out of the lineup in favour of Timothy Liljegren. His grade against Tampa was an F.
Things changed when he got another opportunity playing against the Panthers. He stopped making reckless mistakes and showed that he could bring value in his presence. He played his way to a better overall evaluation.
Player Grade: D+
Jake McCabe
These grades are all skewed based on the expectations going into the post season. The expectations on Jake McCabe weren’t overly high. He is a fine player who has a important role. He did exactly what he needed, clearing the front of the net and getting into opponents’ way.
Player Grade: B
Morgan Rielly
In the regular season, Morgan Rielly was ordinary this year. For a player with his level of skill and ability, he was disappointing. That wasn’t the case during the post season. Rielly flipped a switched and became a completely different player.
Not only was the Leafs assistant captain a reliable defender but he also poured on the offense as well. He was even the player who scored the controversial disallowed goal against the Panthers in Game 5. In 11 contests, Rielly scored four goals and eight assists for a total of 12 points.
Player Grade: A
Luke Schenn
One of the best stories of Toronto’s playoffs is the impact that Luke Schenn had. He gave the Leafs the physicality they lacked elsewhere. This was especially necessary against the Lightning when players tried taking liberties with the Buds’ best players.
Schenn wasn’t just on the ice to provide the sandpaper. He also defended well. It was a welcome surprise from someone who had very low expectations going into the post season.
Player Grade: A-
The Toronto Maple Leafs Forwards’ Grades
Noel Acciari
Noel Acciari threw his body around and made opponents uncomfortable. It’s exactly what Keefe wanted from him. He was able to create space for his linemates and put opponents on their heels.
Player Grade: B
Zach Aston-Reese
Zach Aston-Reese had six games to make himself invaluable to his teammates. Unfortunately, he failed to deliver. While there were many shifts that saw Aston-Reese push the tempo and pressure his opponents, he just didn’t do enough to warrant playing over any of his teammates.
Player Grade: C+
Michael Bunting
Michael Bunting may be the most difficult player to assess. That’s because of his poor decision that led to a three-game suspension. That cannot be ignored because it put his team in a difficult position against a tough opponent in the Lightning. Toronto ended up winning all three of the games in which he was ineligible.
Bunting did help the team win when Keefe chose to play him in Game 6 of the first round. He ended up playing a total of seven games. In those, he was a part of just two wins. It’s difficult to blame Bunting for the losses. He played relatively well and even drew his share of penalties.
Player Grade: B
Calle Järnkrok
If Calle Järnkrok had scored in overtime in Game 5 against the Panthers he would be a hero remembered for years for his accomplishment. Instead, it’s just the opposite. He was the player beat in front of the Leafs net that led to Nick Cousin’s overtime winner.
Järnkrok was much better in the regular season than in the playoffs. That’s mostly because of the role he was given in each and the linemates he got to play with, but Järnkrok didn’t show Keefe enough to give him more important positioning or minutes.
Player Grade: C
David Kämpf
David Kämpf had a role on the team and he played it well. When Toronto’s best players looked lost, Kämpf’s drive and focus took over. He is deployed to win faceoffs and pin opponents into their own end. He was never expected to pile up the offense so being held to three playoff points isn’t a dissapointment. Kämpf was a bright spot and one of the only forwards who seemed to remain engaged throughout the second round. For that, he deserves great credit.
Player Grade: A-
Alexander Kerfoot
Alexander Kerfoot had his opportunities to be a difference maker in the playoffs but that never game to fruition. There were no glaring errors in the way he played but there was also little to highlight. Kerfoot gave just enough and nothing more to his team.
Player Grade: B-
Matthew Knies
Leafs fans got a glimpse of the future in Matthew Knies and the future looks bright. Though he did make some mistakes on the ice, the youngster was an important player for the Leafs until he was injured in Game 2 against the Panthers. It was forward Sam Bennett who treated the game like a wrestling match, that took Knies out of action.
Player Grade: A-
Sam Lafferty
Sam Lafferty was a bright spot in the lineup. Playing on the fourth line, he did exactly what was expected of him. He skated quickly and forechecked every chance he could. He did his job and did it well.
Player Grade: B+
Ryan O’Reilly
Ryan O’Reilly had a down season. He wasn’t the offensive dynamo that he had once been in his career. Similar to the way Rielly became a new player on the blue line, so too did O’Reilly.
O’Reilly made things uncomfortable for opposing goalies. He was consistent and played extremely well all playoffs long.
Player Rating: A
Toronto Maple Leafs Core 4’s Grades
There were very high expectation on the Leafs core four players. They have had the opportunity to mature and develop together. All four of them went through the same tribulations, which it was believed would be a great motivator in the playoffs.
The expectations on the Core 4 are higher than they are for the other Maple Leafs. There is no disputing the importance each of these four men have on the team’s success. They are graded based on their individual expectations.
Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner was by far the best of Toronto’s Core Four. He played in all 11 contests where he registered three goals and 11 assists.
Marner was strong on both ends of the ice. He was a big part of the the team’s offense and was picking opponents’ pockets back in his own end. There were stretches in the second round where he didn’t show his best. It’s those times that frustrate Leafs fans.
Player Grade: B+
Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews was unstoppable against the Lightning. The Bolts didn’t have any answers for the sniper. Sadly, the Panthers did.
Matthews continued to produce offence in Round 2 by creating a ton of scoring chances, unfortunately none of them went in the net. In the five games against the Panthers Matthews recorded just two assists. That’s after he went off for five goals and four assists in his six games against Tampa.
Player Grade: B-
William Nylander
The biggest highlight for William Nylander this post season came in the Leafs final game. It was Nylander who scored a massive game tying goal that forced the contest to go to overtime.
Nylander showed up in waves. He demonstrated his skill weaving through opponents and then would lose the puck. While there were shifts where Nylander was invisible, from a whole game perspective, he made his presence felt. He finished the playoffs with four goals and six assists.
Player Grade: B
John Tavares
Leafs fans would have loved to see Leafs captain John Tavares do more. He seemed to always be close but was held to just four goals and four assists through the entire playoffs. All those points but one assist came in the first round. Tavares just didn’t give the team enough against the Panthers.
Player Grade: C
The Toronto Maple Leafs Coaching Staff Grades
Assessing the effectiveness of a hockey coach is very difficult. A lot of their job is done in preparation for a series. That could mean getting into video sessions, working through advance scouting reports, and working on plays at practice.
In looking at Keefe and his team, we can only grade what we see. The most obvious of which is the results. While the Maple Leafs moved on to the second round for the first time in 19 years, he and his staff didn’t get the team beyond that point. They were also eliminated very quickly, in just five games, by an underdog Panthers squad.
A successful coach leads the team to consistent improvement and success. That just didn’t happen on Keefe’s watch. The club didn’t improve, they regressed as the playoffs moved along. Overall, the Leafs finished with a 5-6 record.
Fans hope that Keefe and his staff spent hours planning for every game. They wanted the group to create well-executed offensive and defensive strategies, special teams’ tactics, and smart line combinations. It’s difficult to see whether that had happened. As the Leafs were getting beaten by the Panthers, it appeared as though Keefe didn’t make many in-game adjustments. While that demonstrates that he had faith in his players, it was frustrating to watch the team fail without much change.
Next. Leafs Top 10 Prospects. dark
(Note: All statistics are from Hockey DB.) Keefe also had some questionable lineups. He left
Holl in against the Bolts while the defender played some of the worst hockey of his professional career. He also chose to sit Bunting after the forward’s suspension expired.
In the end, the Maple Leafs lost. Rightly or wrongly, a big part of the blame falls on Keefe and his staff.
Coaching Rating: D