5 Maple Leafs players who must bring their A-Game following the All-Star Break
The Toronto Maple Leafs need a huge second half if they plan on embarking on a major run that will land them a top-three spot in the Atlantic.
The Toronto Maple Leafs had four players represent the organization in the 2024 All-Star Game, and Auston Matthews highlighted that list of names. It goes without saying that Matthews must bring his A-Game from now until the regular season ends in mid-April if the Maple Leafs hope to maximize their place in the Atlantic Division and in the Eastern Conference.
The same goes for Mitch Marner, Morgan Rielly, and William Nylander, so you won’t see their names on the list below. Instead, we’re focusing on players with the potential to provide an outstanding supporting cast for those listed above, starting with the team captain.
John Tavares must find a way to get close to his output from last season
John Tavares has yet to find a way to come close to the 80 points and 36 goals he scored last season, and he is well under a point per game here in 2023-24. While it’s true that Tavares’ best days are behind him, he’s still more than capable of producing better than the numbers he’s put up so far this season.
That being said, his edge on defense is still there, and he’s roughly on pace to at least come close to last year in terms of getting in front of shooting lanes, knocking around opponents, and stealing the puck. His 61.9 faceoff win percentage is trending toward an all-time high, and his 18:18 average total ice time is the highest it’s been since 2019-20.
If Tavares can start finding the back of the net again and the likes of Matthews, Marner, Rielly, and Nylander keep producing at least near their current levels, the Maple Leafs will be tough to beat for the remainder of the season. But Tavares is just one of five players, both offensively and defensively, who must bring the best version of themselves down the stretch.
Tyler Bertuzzi’s productivity must keep trending northward
It’s safe to say Tyler Bertuzzi is having a better season in Toronto than he did all of last year in Detroit and Boston combined. While he will never be an Auston Matthews or a William Nylander, Bertuzzi can still be a legitimate scoring threat, something he’s shown us in the past.
He’s not even two seasons removed from his career-high of 30 goals and 62 points that he accumulated in just 68 contests. No, that productivity isn’t happening in Toronto, but if Bertuzzi converts more than roughly 7.0 percent of his shots on goal, then he will add yet another layer of scoring that the Maple Leafs can use in the middle-six.
Another upside is that Bertuzzi is gaining back more of that physical edge we saw from earlier in his career, and he’s also on pace to set a personal-best in takeaways. Opponents don’t score often at 5-on-5 when he’s on the ice, and the Maple Leafs are also making plays when in possession of the puck in the same situation.
If we see just a little more productivity from Bertuzzi offensively, he will be a forward that opponents must further account for alongside Tavares and Nylander.
Ilya Samsonov must keep showing that he belongs
It wasn’t long ago when it looked like Ilya Samonsov would be spending time in the AHL, but that stint was short-lived, and the 26-year-old has another chance to stick around if he performs up to standard. Since his return, Samsonov has been productive, saving 92 shots on goal in 98 attempts and securing a 0.939 save percentage, along with a shutout.
But we also know how poorly Samsonov played that ultimately ended up with him getting reassigned. His first 15 games saw him finish with a 5-2-6 record and 325 saves on 377 shot attempts, good for a measly 0.862 save percentage. Therefore, you can’t blame Toronto for looking to go in another direction, but if he keeps playing the way he has, you also can’t blame them for perhaps wanting to keep him around.
Samsonov has shown us he can be productive between the pipes, so now it’s all about consistency. If he plays well in the foreseeable future, even if he’s not saving nearly 94 percent of opponents’ shots on goal every night, he’s at least factoring into the rotation again. But if he reverts to what we saw earlier this season, he will quickly find himself back in the AHL.
Long past overdue for Jake McCabe to stay consistent
Jake McCabe has just 17 points this season, which isn’t bad when you look at his overall career numbers. But between December 2nd and January 27th, McCabe was hot when the Maple Leafs had the puck. In those 26 contests, McCabe had 15 points, four goals, and a plus-7 rating to go with a remarkable 14.3 shooting percentage and 20:44 of average total ice time.
For everyone who thought McCabe was declining or at least struggling through a bad year given his first month-and-a-half that saw him score just two assists and a minus-3 rating, but he reminded us that he still has a lot of good hockey left in him. However, with the Maple Leafs currently moving between a wild card spot and barely hanging onto third place in the Atlantic Division, they need players from their main supporting cast like McCabe to keep putting forth this kind of production.
Over the past two months, it’s clear McCabe has brought his A-Game, and not just offensively. Per QuantHockey, he’s fourth on the team in blocked shots with 42 in that span, and is second in hits with 60. Now that the All-Star Break is over and Toronto is back in action, it’s time to see if McCabe can keep this current trend going for the rest of the regular season.
Timothy Liljegren must keep bringing pressure
Timothy Liljegren missed a significant portion of the 2023-24 season, but upon his return, he’s doing his part to stabilize the blue line. Despite playing in just 30 games through the All-Star Break, Liljegren is constantly invading scoring lanes, and it’s resulted in 67 blocks this year. If you do the math, that’s 2.23 per game, and if he stays healthy, he will force opponents to stop and think before they shoot the puck around him.
When he’s on the ice, Toronto is also better in the defensive zone, evidenced by an on-ice save percentage of 93.4 percent at 5-on-5 and just 15 total goals allowed in that situation, or a half-goal per game. While he hasn’t been much of a factor when the Maple Leafs have the puck, there is more than enough talent listed above to take care of the scoring and production in the offensive zone.
The Maple Leafs must keep allowing Liljegren to play his game for the final one-third of the regular season. If he continues to shut down opponents, it will make their job much easier in the defensive zone, and create more opportunities for Toronto when they have the puck.
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)