4 Toronto Maple Leafs That Shouldn’t Be on the Playoff Roster

4 Toronto Maple Leafs That Shouldn’t Be on the Playoff Roster

Martin Jones

Martin Jones shouldn't play in the playoffs, and if he finds himself in net, it means that both Woll and Samsonov are struggling or injured.

It's bad news, essentially.

During the anxious time when the Leafs had a huge dilemma in net on their hands with Joseph Woll sidelined indefinitely due to a high ankle sprain and Ilya Samsonov struggling mightily with his play that saw him waived and sent to the minors, it was 11-year NHL veteran Martin Jones who stepped in marvellously to hold down the fort for the Leafs to prevent their season from spiralling into oblivion.

The Leafs had a West Coast Trip and those can be deadly, even when Anaheim and San Jose are bad, but Martin Jones came through and kept the season alive.

During the key stretch from the beginning of December to the beginning of January, Jones went a stellar 8-3-0 with a 1.98 GAA and .934 save percentage, showing glimpses of his dominant form back during his prime years with the San Jose Sharks.

However, perhaps fatigue ultimately caught up to him, as he would have a string of sub-par games following that stretch, eventually giving way back to a revitalized Samsonov, who hasn’t given up the net ever since.

Since February 22, Jones has only seen one game of action, and that was only for three minutes against the Edmonton Oilers on March 23.

As a result, with his limited usage down the stretch, Jones will likely not be seen in the playoffs despite playing a key role in saving the Leafs season when they needed him the most.

The only chance he would get into any game action at all is if both Samsonov and Woll end up struggling mightily at the same time, or if either of them suffers an ailment, which hopefully won’t happen or else the Leafs would be in major trouble.

Conor Timmins

Among all of the Leafs defenseman to suit up this season, Conor Timmins had been one of the team’s best defenders in terms of puck possession and controlling play whenever he was on the ice.

At 5-on-5, Timmins has registered a CF% of 57%, SF% of 58%, expected goals rate of 61%, and scoring chances rate of 60%. When the Leafs acquired Timmins from the Arizona Coyotes back in December of 2022, this was pretty much what they expected they were getting from him.

On top of that, despite his limited playing time this season, Timmins has also put up some solid numbers with one goal and eight assists for nine points in 24 games played.

More importantly, in the last ten games that he had suited up for the Blue and White, the Leafs had won eight of them, proving that he must be doing something right and that he was probably their lucky charm as well.

However, once the playoffs roll around, he will likely remain in the press box for the duration of the postseason.

That is because for the Toronto Maple Leafs to have success in the rough and gruelling environment in the playoffs, they need to deploy the right mix of puck-moving defenseman to go along with stay-at-home bruisers to help keep the opposition on their toes.

With Morgan Rielly and Timothy Liljegren fulfilling the role of being elite puck-moving defenders, the Leafs need to fill the rest of their back end with tough, gritty, big bodies to counter the tenacity and adversity that they will likely face.

As a result, the puck-moving Timmins will not be needed as he is probably even further down the pecking order behind the likes of Simon Benoit and Mark Giordano if an extra body is ever needed.

Noah Gregor

Coming into training camp on a professional tryout, Noah Gregor impressed the Leafs brass enough such that he was signed to a one-year contract prior to the start of the 2023-24 regular season.

With a combination of solid speed, a legitimate NHL-calibre shot, and the ability to kill penalties, he was an ideal bottom-six forward for the Leafs heading into the year.

He certainly did not disappoint early on while averaging only about ten minutes a night, Gregor was a force whenever he was on the ice.

Either he was laying out his opponents with bruising hits, or he was contributing on the scoreboard with key goals in opportune times to help the Leafs to victory. In his first 28 games of the season, he potted five goals and tallied two assists for seven points in total. (All stats from hockey-reference.com and naturalstattrick.com)

However, since the middle of December, Gregor has been held goalless and has seen his role progressively reduced quite significantly in the recent couple of months in favour of the more defensively-minded trade deadline acquisition Connor Dewar and the suddenly rejuvenated team enforcer Ryan Reaves.

With a somewhat undefined role heading into the playoffs, it could be enough to spell Gregor from the active roster when the postseason starts. 

His numbers aren't good, and the Leafs have clearly established better options. He's a useful depth piece, but like Jones, if you see him in the playoffs it is going to be a clear indication that things are not going well.

Calle Jarnkrok

When people see the name Calle Jarnkrok on this list, one of their first reactions may be “No way, he has a guaranteed spot for sure, what are you talking about?”

After all, Jarnkrok had been a key player in the Leafs lineup for each of the past two seasons. With the ability to play on any line, along with in all situations whether on the power play or penalty kill, he provides great flexibility for coach Sheldon Keefe on how he can be deployed.

Together with his surprisingly lethal shot, he is perhaps one of the best well-rounded player outside of the core four on the team.

In addition, Jarnkrok scored a career-high 20 goals last season with the Leafs. His numbers may have fallen a bit this season, but it still remains solid with 10 goals and 11 assists for 21 points in 52 games played.

However, after suffering a broken knuckle just months earlier, Jarnkrok has been currently out for almost a month now with a hand injury following a heavy crash into the boards in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

There is some uncertainty as to whether or not Jarnkrok will be ready for the playoffs. But the best course of action that the Leafs should take is that if he still hasn’t practiced and begin getting into game shape soon, it may be wise for the Leafs to not include him on the playoff roster to start since it will probably take him some time to get back up to speed after the long layoff.

With the game going at a fast and ferocious pace in the playoffs, playing him could essentially put the Leafs at a disadvantage. However, in reality, the Leafs will likely insert him into the lineup the moment he is deemed ready.

Hopefully, Jarnkrok will surprise us and end up making me eat my own words by being a key difference maker for the Leafs in the playoffs.