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5 Early Season Positives For The Toronto Maple Leafs

By Jeremy Franks

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 13: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on April 13, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 13: Auston Matthews #34 of the Toronto Maple Leafs skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on April 13, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs tend to frustrate their fan base with a lack of consistency in their play.

The start of this season has seen the Toronto Maple Leafs hold true to form.

Only a handful of games into the year and various forms have been witnessed.

The first two games saw the Leafs offense explode for thirteen goals, while they gave up nine. Shoddy defense and lackluster goaltending were prevalent.

The offense proceeded to spin its wheels for two games, then rebound with back-to-back four-goal outings.

Throw in a mid-week, no-show against an inferior opponent that upset the head coach and the Leafs have no shortage of talking points, but we’re here to discuss the positives. So, what should the Leafs be excited about? (all stats nhl.com). 

5 Early Season Positives For The Toronto Maple Leafs

Position In The Standings

Yes, it’s early and no one should get overly excited that your team may be at the top of the standings. The quarter-pole point is usually a good indicator of where a team lies.

Recent history in the National Hockey League shows that there is not a whole lot of movement in the standings once 25-30 games are played.

Of course, an occasional team will rise or drop significantly, but for the most part, there is little fluctuation once the end of November comes around.

The Atlantic Division has provided a perfect example over the last two years.

During the 2021-2022 season, the Florida Panthers led the Atlantic most of the way, taking the President’s trophy. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning held the second and third spots most of the year and met in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Boston Bruins bolted out of the gate during the 2022-2023 season to take the division title and also won the President’s Trophy.

The Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning held second and third in the division for the majority of the season and their playoff meeting seemed predetermined months ahead of time.

What a team doesn’t want to do is start slowly. Ask the Edmonton Oilers who already have an almost ten-point gap to overcome on the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights in their division.

Since the advent of three-point games, it has been very difficult to overcome huge deficits in the standings.

Despite their hiccups, the Leafs are staying within sight of the never-go-away Boston Bruins and the surprising Detroit Red Wings.

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