5 Reasons to Be Optimistic About the Toronto Maple Leafs

The Top Players Are Healthy

Looking back over the past several years, it seems like one or more of Toronto’s key players was either out of the lineup due to injury, or playing hurt.  For example, Auston Matthews has only played a full 82 game season once, in his rookie year (2016-17).  Nagging injuries last year contributed to the goal scoring dropoff that Matthews endured, potting “only” 40 goals, versus the 60 he scored the previous season.

Morgan Rielly missed significant time last season with a knee injury.  It’s difficult for any defender to get through a season unscathed, whether it’s due to blocking shots or getting hammered by opposing forwards when going back to retrieve pucks (this despite the existence of hybrid icing).  The Toronto Maple Leafs defense corps has already suffered more than its share of injuries this season, with Jake McCabe, Connor Timmins and Timothy Liljegren all missing time.

John Tavares has been pretty lucky over the years on the injury front, although he was knocked out of the playoffs in Game 1 of the Playoffs in 2020-2021 versus the Montreal Canadiens.  Tavares was stretchered off the ice after a scary play in which he took an accidental knee to the head from Corey Perry.

Not surprisingly, William Nylander and Mitch Marner have been mostly healthy during their careers.  Neither plays the type of physical style that often leads to sustaining injuries.

The Toronto Maple Leafs current goaltending tandem has certainly had their fill of getting hurt.  Joseph Woll had shoulder and ankle injuries in previous years that threatened to derail his NHL career before it started.  Last season, Ilya Samsonov suffered through several injuries that kept him out of the lineup for various stretches of time.

This year, all of the top players are healthy.  No recoveries from surgery, no concussion worries, no nagging injuries (that we know of).  It’s hard enough sometimes to find your “mojo” as an NHL player without having to contend with being hurt.

The fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs stars are all in good shape gives us at least some confidence that they’ll eventually start to click like we know they can.

William Nylander is Better Than Ever

Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander is sometimes a polarizing figure.

Blessed with unnatural speed and offensive talent, it sometimes looks as if he isn’t even trying.  In past years, critical fans probably had a point, as Nylander often had games where the defensive effort just wasn’t there, and he simply looked disinterested.

Nylander also sat out the first two months of the season in 2018 due to a contract dispute.  He eventually signed a 6 year deal worth just under $7M per season (per capfriendly.com).

That deal expires at the end of this season, and GM Brad Treliving was unsuccessful this past summer in trying to negotiate an extension with the Nylander camp.

Which brings us to the present.  William Nylander is playing like a man possessed.  He set a new team record for most games to start the season with a point (up to 10 games as of Nov 2).  He has clearly been the Toronto Maple Leafs best player so far.

Nylander is not just scoring and setting up teammates.  He’s backchecking, he’s picking up his man in the defensive zone, he’s battling for pucks along the boards.

He’s even thrown a body check or two.

Whether the “new” William Nylander is only a temporary being due to the fact that he’s playing for a new contract doesn’t really matter (at least for this season).

With fellow stars Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and John Tavares all healthy and having good starts to the season, an upgraded Nylander gives the Leafs more firepower than they’ve ever had.

With the difference maker in the playoffs usually being the productivity of a team’s top players, Nylander’s emergence as a superstar bodes well for Toronto’s Stanley Cup hopes this season.

Matthew Knies Is About to Break Out 

For some unexplained reason, head coach Sheldon Keefe has slotted in Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Matthew Knies on the third line, mainly with David Kampf and Max Domi.

While Knies has only played a handful of NHL games and came straight to the show from college hockey, he already does certain things at an NHL level.

He is a beast along the boards, using his large frame to block out opponents and win puck battles.  He has great vision and patience, often finding an open teammate for a hard pass when other rookies would panic. He has a hard shot and works tirelessly.

Of course, he still makes rookie mistakes and needs to learn to defend NHL calibre players, but every young player has to go through a learning process.

The thing with Knies is that the skills he has seemingly already mastered are the perfect complement to what Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner need.

Someone who can win the puck and get it to his linemates, and someone who can convert the ridiculous setups those teammates provide into goals.

Those skills are wasted playing with lesser linemates such as Domi, and especially Kampf.  Calle Jarnkrok is a decent overall veteran who isn’t a total loss on the top line, but doesn’t have the same level of offensive skill as Knies.

Additionally, Jarnkrok is better on the defensive side of things than Knies, and would be a better fit lower down in the lineup.

Part of what makes a good coach is the ability to best utilize whatever talent you’re given to work with.

As soon as Sheldon Keefe realizes that moving Matthew Knies to the top line is a good idea (and he’ll come to this conclusion sooner or later), Knies will likely break out and cement himself on that line for the remainder of the season.

The Team’s Lacklustre Start Exposes the Faults Early Enough to Fix Them

One must admit, it has been frustrating to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs so far this season.

The forward group has yet to mesh, the defense has ranged from suspect to horrible, and Ilya Samsonov has been shaky in net.

However, the optimist in me says that this may well be a blessing in disguise.  The Leafs have had strong starts in the past, yet we’re still waiting for the parade down Yonge Street.

Getting off to a great start to the regular season, and even sustaining that start, doesn’t guarantee anything.

Remember last season’s Boston Bruins, who set an all time NHL record for most points in a season (135), then flamed out in the first round of the playoffs versus the Florida Panthers.

This is the time of year to see what we have and don’t have, and make adjustments as necessary.  Winning games via outstanding goaltending, fortunate bounces or opponents who basically beat themselves may feel better than losing, but those types of wins can mask fundamental flaws that end up going unaddressed.

In net, it appears that Joseph Woll has the talent to be a number one goaltender.

To be seen is how many games he can handle, how he reacts to adversity, and whether his injury problems are now behind him.

Ilya Samsonov has to show he can return to the form he showed at times last season, and whether he too can stay healthy.  Martin Jones is a competent backup.

On the blueline, Brad Treliving has to make some moves, and soon.  Even before the injuries to McCabe, Timmens and Liljegren, the defense group was thin.  William Lagesson is not an NHL regular, nor is Simon Benoit.

The John Klingberg signing has so far not panned out.  T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano are holding their own, but likely to fade due to age, especially if they continue to play a lot of minutes.

Up front, the new acquisitions haven’t added a lot to the Toronto Maple Leafs.  Tyler Bertuzzi has started to show some improvement, but hasn’t hit the scoresheet much at all.  Max Domi is just filling a roster spot, and Ryan Reaves may add more to the team in the dressing room than on the ice.

All in all, there’s lots of room for change and improvement.  Thankfully, there’s plenty of time to fix things.  But Brad Treliving cannot afford to waste that time.

Change Is Afoot in the NHL Standings

If you haven’t looked at the NHL standings recently, you may be surprised by what you see.  Several teams we’re used to seeing at the top are no longer there (Dubas cannot save Pittsburgh), while others that have provided the comic relief for years (hello, Vancouver!) are suddenly showing some strength.

Since the advent of the salary cap, it has become very difficult to stay on top forever, as big salaries for star players and low draft picks year after year tend to catch up to you.

Conversely, weak teams generally find themselves with cap space at some point, and constantly picking high in the draft tends to improve a team over team.

So tell me something I don’t know, right?  What this means this year to the Toronto Maple Leafs (and the Atlantic Division) is that the Tampa Bay Lightning are no longer a frightening opponent.  Despite their surprise playoff run last year, the Florida Panthers never were that scary.

Buffalo, Ottawa and Montreal have some exciting young players, but those teams aren’t ready yet.  Detroit is looking good, but again, probably not ready yet.

Within the division, that leaves Boston, who are once again leading the league in points.  By all reasoning, the Bruins should be on the way down, but fantastic goaltending from both Jeremy Swayman and Linus Ullmark has kept them at the top.

Can that dynamic due continue robbing opponents all season long and into the playoffs?  We shall see.

If you’ve been following closely, you’ll realize that circumstances are aligning just the right way for the Toronto Maple Leafs to make a long playoff run, and maybe put an end to that annoying little Stanley Cup drought.

In past years, it often felt that no matter how well the Leafs did, they were already doomed by the NHL’s ridiculous playoff format.  This year feels different, at least in that respect.

There’s a lot of work yet to do, both by the players and the management team. But if that heavy lifting is done and the team comes together, the sky is the limit.