The Toronto Maple Leafs are halfway through the season, having played 41 out of 82 regular-season games. Now is a good time to evaluate and grade the team based on its performance up to this point. The team has stepped up in Craig Berube‘s first season as the Maple Leafs head coach. They’ve been playing a playoff brand of hockey that sees more controlled results.
But, where does Toronto stand in comparison to last season at the halfway mark?
Evaluating Toronto’s Season at Halfway Mark
Offence, Grade: B-
As long as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander are on the Maple Leafs, Toronto will have no issue finding goals. At the halfway mark last season, the Leafs were seventh in the league in goals. They scored 144 goals as a team, 15 more than this season. Toronto is also tenth in the league in the goals department. While the team’s scoring rate isn’t far off from last season, there is a bit of a drop-off in their production. The Leafs were shut out in the first game of the season against the Montreal Canadiens. It was the first time that happened since November 2021. Toronto was on a 227-game streak of scoring at least one goal, the eighth-best in NHL history. About one month later, the Leafs were shut out again, this time by the Ottawa Senators. The reason could be because of Berube’s system, making the Leafs play a simpler and more predictable game. However, if the team is winning, does it matter?
One aspect of Toronto’s offence that has struggled is its depth scoring, specifically the third line. In the early parts of the season, the third line was practically non-existent, while the Maple Leafs’ fourth line looked more threatening at times. Lately, players have stepped up and have been more involved, such as Bobby McMann. However, Nicholas Robertson, who had a stellar preseason after requesting a trade, only has six goals and 10 points.
That’s why the offence gets a B- grade.
Defence, Grade: A-
The Leafs defence this season has been exceptional all season long. In the offseason, general manager Brad Treliving worked the phones and bolstered Toronto’s back end. He acquired the signing rights to Chris Tanev and secured the D-man on July 1. Treliving also signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson in free agency. Those two have been a massive piece of Toronto’s defence this season. They’ve both been averaging about 20 minutes per game and are reliable. Furthermore, Tanev leads the league in blocked shots with 116.
As a team, Toronto’s defensive structure and unit have improved too. The team knows how to handle close-game situations. These days, Toronto is comfortable with holding a lead. In the past, the Leafs struggled to hold onto leads, and there would always be the risk of losing them. According to Champs Or Chumps, Toronto has only given up three leads this season. Also, they’ve never let the opposition make a comeback in the third period. They are one of three teams to do that. The other two are the Seattle Kraken and Stanley Cup champions Florida Panthers. Last season, the Leafs blew 19 leads, the sixth most in the league tied with the Minnesota Wild, New York Islanders and Kraken. Only the Islanders made the playoffs of those teams and were eliminated in the first round in five games.
The only thing Toronto’s D-corps should look to improve on is their scoring as they only have 10 goals among them. Therefore, an A- grade for the defence.
Goaltending, Grade: A
The Maple Leafs’ goaltending has been revolutionary for the franchise. Toronto’s tandem of Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll has been the league’s best goaltending duo when they’re both healthy. Unfortunately, Stolarz has been out for the last three weeks as he recovers from knee surgery. Since then, Woll has been holding down the fort, much like Stolarz did when Woll missed the first bit of the season.
Among netminders who have played at least 15 games this season, Woll ranks 10th in save percentage with .914%. Not to mention, Stolarz tops the league in that department, despite his absence. Leafs fans and management will hope to get their star tandem back soon. This could be the first time a Maple Leafs tandem or goaltender won the William M. Jennings Trophy.
Main Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
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