Nicholas Robertson Grade: A+
This is the first name I have mentioned where I feel the need to specify that I am grading based on the player's performance compared to their expectations coming into the season rather than grading based on overall performance compared to other players in the league.
Obvously, if we are only going off of year long performance, there is no way Robertson could have the same grade as Marner and Nylander, but Robertson took advantage of every minute he got on the ice and that is how I landed on an A+, let me explain...
During the regular season, Robertson only got into 56 games which was a career high for him. Primarily playing at the bottom of the lineup, Robertson was able to score 14 goals and record a total of 27 points.
Robertson recorded all but four of these points at five-on-five while only playing 584 minutes. This was good enough for Robertson to rank fourth on the Leafs in points per 60 minutes and second in goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five. I liked what I saw out of Robertson. I think he is ready for a much more significant role next year.
Max Domi Grade: B-
Despite a slow start to the season, Domi turned himself into one of Toronto's most productive players at five-on-five, but he also has to be extremely sheltered to make this happen.
Domi led the Leafs in primary assists per 60 minutes and finished second on the team in five-on-five points per 60. Unfortunately, he gives a lot of that basck with his off-the-puck play, which is terrible.
As the year went on, Domi got more comfortable with this team. When Mitch Marner went down with a high ankle sprain, Domi was moved up to the top line to play with Auston Matthews. This is really when Domi started to shine.
Through March and April, Domi averaged 0.80 points per game, with all of these points coming at five-on-five. The only reason Domi did not get a higher grade was his defensive performance which made it very hard for Keefe to ice a balanced lineup.
Domi ranked in the bottom five Maple Leafs in both on-ice goals against and expected goals against per 60 minutes, but he masked this by having a goal share percentage above 50% while on the ice. All in all, Domi had a decent first year in a Leafs uniform.