The 2024-25 Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a strong start under new Coach Craig Berube, but no one really knows how this team will look once their goaltending regresses from not stopping nearly 95 of every 100 shots.
Under a new coach, the Toronto Maple Leafs have definitely tried to adopt a tougher, more defensive style, but they've been prevented from dressing a fully healthy lineup for most of the season, and the goalies have been so good that after 30-odd games, that we really don't know what this team is.
Say what you want about this new style of play, but the team is first in the Atlantic Division almost halfway through the year.
The unfortunate news is, their season MVP so far, the main reason they are leading the division almost halfway through the season, Anthony Stolarz, has suffered an injury that'll take him off the ice for four-six weeks.
Maple Leafs Enter Biggest Stretch of the Season With MVP Injured
It was reported on Tuesday that Stolarz is to miss between four and six weeks due to a knee issue, which is a massive loss for the Leafs, as Stolarz has been nothing short of spectacular this year.
After signing a two-year deal with the Leafs in the off-season, most people knew Stolarz as a strong backup goalie, but nothing more. Stolarz has proven everyone wrong and shown he's much more than that, combining with Joseph Woll to give the Leafs one of the strongest goaltending tandems in the entire league.
At the time of writing this, the Leafs rank second overall in team SV%, with Stolarz ranking first in SV% and second in GAA league-wide, with Woll himself also ranking in the top five in both stats.
With all due respect to Mitch Marner and Woll himself, Anthony Stolarz has been the best Leafs player this season. With him gone, the team needs to step up in his absense.
Woll is a strong NHL goalie, don't get me wrong, but he has had his own injury problems in the past, most notably at the beginning of this season and in game 7 last year. The Leafs have three strong goalies in the AHL, Dennis Hildeby, Matt Murray, and Artur Akhtyamov. But all three have had little, or even zero NHL success as of late.
Woll will have to carry the load, which he's likely capable of doing, but an injury to both Woll and Stolarz could spell disaster.
If goaltending falters, the offense will need to pick it up. If Auston Matthews can get hot, Mitch Marner and John Tavares keep up their strong seasons, and the new-and-improved third line of Bobby McMann, Max Domi, and Nick Robertson can stay hot, the offense should be fine.
But if the offense stays average like its been for most of the year, this stretch could be disastorous.
To their credit, the Leafs have a good habit of playing some of their best hockey when a key player is out. Most notably, winning five straight when Morgan Rielly was suspended last year, or going 2-0 without Matthews in the 2024 playoffs, or their recent stretch of 7-2 again without Matthews.
If the Leafs can go on another streak without a top player, they deserve tons of credit.
Stolarz will likely be out until close to the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, which is lots of time for the Leafs to go on a run and hold to top spot in their division, but also plenty of time to plummet in the standings.
Let's see how they do without their 2024-25 MVP.