4 Pleasant Surprises in the Toronto Maple Leafs Recent Winning Ways
Which players have really stepped up their game for the Leafs in recent weeks?
The Toronto Maple Leafs have been off and running so far in the month of February, having won eight of ten games, including their current seven-game winning streak after defeating entering the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.
What has been more impressive is the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs have achieved most of their recent success without the services of their assistant captain and best defenseman Morgan Rielly.
One of the key factors had been the emergence of surprising players that have stepped up their game considerably during this current stretch to help augment the Leafs attack.
Together, they have made life miserable for the opponents, as in total, the Leafs have outscored the opposition 48-29 in the ten games so far this month.
4 Pleasant Surprises in the Toronto Maple Leafs Recent Winning Ways
As a result, we will take a closer look at some of these standout players that have surprisingly made some unexpected significant contributions in recent weeks.
Timothy Liljegren
Following the departure of fellow Swede Rasmus Sandin at the trade deadline last season, it was expected that Timothy Liljegren would be in line to play a bigger role for the Leafs this season as a result.
Especially when he was given the opportunity to quarterback the second power play unit, along with some valuable time on the penalty kill. The year didn’t start off as smoothly for Liljegren, as he needed some time to find his game following a high-ankle sprain injury back in early November.
However, he has finally picked up his game of late, in particular during the absence of Rielly. Given top-pairing minutes, Liljegren flourished in such circumstances, registering seven assists in the past six games including three power play points.
Of course, partnering with the veteran T.J. Brodie sure helped, but given his previous experience with partner Mark Giordano, his transition to the top pairing appeared to have gone seamlessly in the process. Now even with Rielly back, the Leafs may consider keeping Brodie and Liljegren together until the combination falters.
Ilya Samsonov
After struggling mightily out of the gate in the first couple of months of the season, Samsonov has been a revelation since returning from his minors stint after being put on waivers by the Leafs at the end of December.
With starter Joseph Woll out long term since early December, Samsonov has really picked up his game to help hold down the fort while waiting for his partner in crime to make it back to the big show.
Since returning to the team in mid-January, Samsonov has gone 8-2-0 with a solid .913 save percentage, while giving up just 22 goals over that 10-game stretch.
More importantly, he appears to have regained his confidence and swag seen from last season when he led the Leafs to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in over two decades. Without Samsonov, the Leafs wouldn’t be where they are right now, so kudos for his huge turnaround in-season.
Bobby McMann
How about that young gun Bobby McMann? What appeared to be just a peripheral piece of the puzzle for the Leafs entering the 2023-24 season, his recent play has clearly shown that the team may have found a diamond in the rough.
After spending the bulk of the season on the Leafs’ fourth line providing the much-needed energy spark with his grinding game, McMann has busted out in a huge way ever since his hat trick game against the St. Louis Blues back on February 13.
In the recent six-game winning streak, he has registered 7 goals and 3 assists, along with 17 bruising hits, while averaging just close to 12 minutes of ice time. He has also shown he could be more than just a fourth-line player, getting the chance to play with the big boys and not looking out of place as a result.
In total, McMann has 9 goals and 8 assists with 53 shots on goal while averaging a little less than 10 minutes of ice time in the 32 games he has played this season. With his sudden offensive explosion in recent weeks, along with his gritty style of play in full effect, he may have already answered one of the Leafs main needs for the upcoming trade deadline by emerging as the unexpected in-house solution for the team.
Auston Matthews
When it comes to Auston Matthews, there really shouldn’t be anything that comes as a surprise for the Leafs superstar. Like, is there really anything he can’t do to help the team to success?
But when he suddenly takes his game to even another level when you thought he was already on the top of his game, that’s what makes him even more surprising and more scarier that expected as a result.
In the Leafs recent winning streak, Matthews has gone absolute berserk in his scoring. He has 10 goals and 3 assists in just his past five games, and if we actually go all the way back to January 16th, he has a whopping 19 goals and 9 assists along with 65 shots on goal in just 15 total games played.
In doing so, he has finally surpassed William Nylander as the team leader in scoring, after Nylander being firmly on top of the team scoring list for practically the entire season.
At this rate, Matthews is putting up Connor McDavid-like crazy numbers, and now has the chance to actually challenge or likely obliterate Alex Ovechkin’s 21st century record of 65 goals in a single season, set back during the 2007-08 NHL season. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)
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The way Matthews has been playing recently, full of confidence and will power all while controlling play, it really makes it feel like this year will be special for both himself and the Leafs as a whole. Hopefully his surprisingly “next-level”play can take the Leafs to their ultimate goal this year, which is getting a chance to play for the Stanley Cup when all is said and done.