The Top 5 Positive Surprises This Season for the Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs will reach the halfway point of their season on Sunday, January 14th, in a game against the Detroit Red Wings.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently on pace to finish the season with 104 points. It wouldn't be their best finish in recent years, but it would be a decent finish nonetheless.
The Leafs have a record of 20-10-7 for 47 points through 37 games.
Their 47 points have them sitting third in the Atlantic Division behind the second-place Florida Panthers (52 points) and first-place Boston Bruins (54 points). The Leafs will need to continue finding a way to acquire points, as the Tampa Bay Lightning (43 points) and Detroit Red Wings (42 points) are not far behind them.
Since the Leafs are almost at the halfway point of their season, I thought it would be nice to look at some of the positive surprises on the team thus far in the 2023-24 NHL season. There are plenty of negative things about the Leafs online, so why not add some more positivity?
There have been quite a few positive surprises for the Leafs, but after looking through them all, I think I've come up with a decent Top 5 list. So, without further ado, here are my Top 5 positive surprises for the Leafs.
Toronto Maple Leafs Top 5 Positive Surprises
Number 5: Noah Gregor
Noah Gregor arrived at Leafs training camp with no contract.
Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving signed Gregor to a professional tryout (PTO) to compete for a roster spot. Gregor impressed Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe enough that Treliving signed Gregor to a one-year deal worth $775,000 on October 10th, 2023. (Salary cap info from capfriendly.com)
Before signing with the Leafs, Gregor spent four seasons with the San Jose Sharks. During his time with the Sharks, Gregor registered 26 goals and 25 assists for 51 points in 178 games. He also averaged 13 minutes of ice time while recording 312 hits, 108 blocked shots, 70 takeaways, and 37 giveaways over four seasons. (Stats from hockey-reference.com)
Since joining the Leafs, Gregor has played in all 37 games while averaging just over 11 minutes a game. He has five goals and two assists for seven points. Gregor also has 63 hits, 16 blocked shots, nine takeaways, and seven giveaways.
Gregor has been a positive surprise for Leafs bottom-six and penalty-killing. While short-handed, he has three takeaways and zero giveaways.
The Leafs like having his speed on the penalty kill. He does a lot of the little things well, and those little things go undetected sometimes. He is on pace for 15 points this season, which is good for a player who mostly plays on the fourth line. His style of play will be an asset come playoff time.
Number 4: Simon Benoit
Simon Benoit is another positive surprise for the Leafs this season. There is nothing flashy about his style of play, but he goes out every night, works hard, and gets the job done. Benoit is another good depth signing by new Leafs GM Brad Treliving. At 6'3 and 203 pounds, Benoit also brings some much needed physicality to the team.
Benoit spent parts of three seasons with the Anaheim Ducks, where he registered four goals and 11 assists for 15 points in 137 games.
He also collected 176 blocked shots and 404 hits while averaging 17 minutes a game. Since joining the Leafs, Benoit has zero points, but it's what he does without the puck that has fans loving him.
In 22 games with the Leafs, Benoit has 38 blocked shots, 65 hits, two fights, seven takeaways, and six giveaways. He is averaging 15 minutes of ice time and is always ready to stick up for his teammates. Benoit could be a key piece for the Leafs in the playoffs. His teammates love him, the coaching staff loves him, management loves him, and the fans love him.
He didn't make the team out of training camp, but after going to the AHL and proving his worth, he got the call-up from when the Leafs defense got plagued by injuries. I think he's earned a permanent spot on the Leafs defense.
Number 3: William Nylander's Point Pace
William Nylander is a member of the Leafs core four.
His overall production continues to improve each season, and he has registered 80 or more points in his last two seasons.
Last year, Nylander finished with 40 goals and 47 assists for 87 points in 82 games. All three stats were career highs for the Canadian born Swede.
Those stats from last season were impressive, and if he was to finish with similar numbers again this season, no one would be surprised.
However, Nylander is producing at an even higher pace than last season. He could finish with another set of career highs. Right now, Nylander has 21 goals and 33 assists for 54 points.
He is on pace for 44 goals and 73 assists for 117 points. For a player that a good chunk of fans seem to dislike, Nylander is on fire this season, and it is a positive surprise.
He is definitely an exciting player to watch, and it seems like he's picking up points every game. Nylander is without a contract after this season, so the pace he is on will surely increase his value. It is being suggested that his next contract will be for more than $11 million, which would be a nice upgrade from his current $6.9 million, but is it too much?
If he continues to produce 40-50 goals with 90-110 points a season, then no, it's not too much.
Number 2: Martin Jones
Martin Jones has become one of the biggest positive surprises for the Leafs this season.
When the Leafs signed Jones to a one-year deal for $875,000, it was solely a depth signing. I don't think Treliving or anyone else thought Jones would be playing such a crucial role for the Leafs this season.
The Leafs got lucky at the start of the season when Jones made it through waivers without being claimed.
Due to Ilya Samsonov's poor play and Joseph Woll getting hurt, Jones is now the number-one goaltender for the Leafs. His numbers with the Toronto Marlies earlier this season were not great, but he's been doing a fine job with the Leafs.
With the Marlies, Jones posted a record of 2-1-1 in five appearances. His stats of 3.37 GAA and .870 SV% have improved at the NHL level. He has a 7-3-0 record with two shutouts and a 2.08 GAA and 9.32 SV% through 11 appearances with the Leafs.
Once Woll returns from injured reserve, I think Jones has earned the right to be the Leafs backup goaltender for the remainder of the season. I wouldn't be surprised if the Leafs ended up trying to trade Samsonov at the NHL trade deadline.
Number 1: Auston Matthews Goal Scoring Pace
Auston Matthews scoring goals is not a surprise for anyone.
Matthews scoring consistently is also not a surprise, but 30 goals in 35 games is a positive surprise. During the 2021-22 season, Matthews finished with 60 goals in 73 games. He didn't score goal number 30 until game 40 of that season. The Leafs have three more games until they reach game 40 on the season.
The fact that Matthews is on pace to score 69-70 goals is crazy to think about. He is trying to secure his third Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophy in the last four seasons.
Matthews would become just the second player in the trophy's history to win it three times. Alexander Ovechkin has won the trophy nine times in 19 seasons. Matthews is in his 8th season.
After scoring 40 goals in 74 games last season with an injured wrist, it's fun to watch Matthews lighting it up while playing fully healthy. If Matthews does score 60 goals this season, he will become the 9th player in NHL history to record 60 or more goals on two or more occasions. He would also become the 9th player in NHL history to score 70 or more goals if he can reach that benchmark.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans are privileged to be watching one of the greatest goal scorers in the salary cap era do what he does on a nightly basis. Matthews is good with and without the puck, and his 200-foot game is incredible. Playing the way he does and still scoring at the pace he is at right now is remarkable.