Toronto Maple Leafs: The good, the bad, and the ugly so far
The Toronto Maple Leafs are 4-4-0 through the first eight games of the 2024-25 NHL season. Their four wins give them eight points and put them fifth in the Atlantic Division.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are 4-4-0 through the first eight games of the 2024-25 NHL season. Their four wins give them eight points and fifth in the Atlantic Division.
The Toronto Maple Leafs looked like a completely different team on Monday, October 21st, when they beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2 than they did in their back-to-back losses to the Columbus Blue Jackets (6-2) and St. Louis Blues (5-1).
In the game against the Lightning, the Leafs looked like a hardworking team that won almost every puck battle. They looked like the team people expected them to look like under new head coach Craig Berube.
As bad as their 4-4-0 start may seem, it's not too far off of their slow starts in previous seasons. Last season, the Leafs were 5-2-1 in their first eight games.
They started the 2022-23 season with a 4-3-1 record, and in the 2021-22 season, the Leafs had a 3-4-1 record through the first eight games.
By the end of those three seasons, the Leafs finished with over 100 points. I think it is safe to say that it is too early to be throwing in the towel (or jersey) on the Leafs 2024-25 season.
It hasn't been all doom and gloom for the Leafs this season. There have been some things and some positive surprises. Those sometimes get forgotten when the team is losing.
Here is an early-season version of the good, the bad, and the ugly. Hopefully, the ugly and bad things will correct themselves.
Toronto Maple Leafs: The Good
William Nylander
William Nylander has been the best forward for the Leafs this season thus far, at least if you ignore Thursday's game. He has five goals and two assists for seven points in eight games. The 28-year-old is trying to become a 40-goal scorer for the third consecutive season. Last season was his best, with 40 goals and 58 assists for 98 points in 82 games. Can he become a 100-point player before Mitch Marner? It sure looks like he might. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)
Anthony Stolarz
Anthony Stolarz has a 3-2-0 record through his first five games, which, at a glance, doesn't look all that great, but his overall stats reflect otherwise. So far this season, Stolarz has yet to allow more than two goals a game. He has a 1.83 GAA and a .938 SV%. Stolarz joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent in the summer. He knew he would likely be playing as a tandem with Joseph Woll, but due to Woll's early season injury and poor showing against the Blues on Thursday, Stolarz is clearly the number-one goaltender in Toronto right now.
Steven Lorentz
Steven Lorentz has been a good addition to the Leafs fourth line. He brings a lot of energy and seems to be a good fit with linemates Ryan Reaves and David Kampf. Lorentz joined the Leafs as a free agent after helping the Panthers win the Stanley Cup. With a goal and an assist for two points in eight games, Lorentz is on pace to pass his three points from last season. The Leafs are hoping to get the Lorentz that finished the 2022-23 season with 19 points, 46 blocked shots, and 133 hits.
Toronto Maple Leafs: The Bad
Nick Robertson
Nick Robertson has played well but hasn't scored much so far. After a successful pre-season where he seemed to score at will, Robertson has one goal this season. The Leafs need him to be more productive and give them more secondary scoring. He registered 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points in 56 games last season, so the Leafs expect the same or better this season.
Leafs Defense
The Leafs defense has been sub-par through the first eight games. They have a combined 45 giveaways compared to 12 takeaways. These numbers need to improve, which I believe they will, but until then, the Leafs defense is hard to watch. Chris Tanev leads the team in blocked shots (28) but also leads Leafs defensemen in giveaways (10). Conor Timmins is barely noticeable. Despite averaging 15:38 minutes of ice time, he has two assists, no takeaways, four giveaways, six blocked shots, and four hits. I find it weird that he keeps getting playing time over Timothy Liljegren, who's only been dressed for one game this season.
David Kampf
David Kampf is the Leafs fourth-line center between Lorentz and Reaves. The line is playing well and brings energy, but Kampf is the weakest link on that line right now. Kampf has one assist through seven games, with one takeaway and eight giveaways. The Leafs need Kampf to be better. He is not living up to the absurd $2.4 million that Leafs GM Brad Treliving gave him.
(Salary information from puckpedia.com)
Toronto Maple Leafs: The Ugly
Leafs Power Play
As of Friday morning, the Leafs have had the sixth most power-play opportunities with 27. However, they are 20th in the NHL with an 11.1% success rate with the man advantage. Through eight games, the Leafs have scored three power-play goals in their 27 power-play opportunities. Bringing Marc Savard in to run the power-play doesn't look like it was the right idea right now. I think the power play units need to be shaken up, and the Leafs need to try something different.
Joseph Woll
Joseph Woll is not off to a good start this season. First, he started the season on injured reserve, and then he ended up playing on the same night that he was activated from IR. That first game did not go well for him, and I'm sure he would like to wipe it from his memory. He gave up four goals on 26 shots. Woll finished the game with a 4.08 GAA and a .846 SV%. Hopefully, as he gets to play more games, he'll bounce back to what the Leafs and fans expect. For now, the net belongs to Anthony Stolarz.
First Period
The Leafs have been outscored in the first period in five of their first eight games. In their last two games (both losses), the Leafs gave up two and three goals respectively in the first period.
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Digging yourself into a hole that early in the game rarely ends well. The Leafs need to figure out how to ensure they start on time and compete hard in the first period.