The Toronto Maple Leafs enter the NHL’s all-star break on a high, posting three straight wins, including two over the impressive Winnipeg Jets. Here’s what we knew about the Leafs going into the season and also what we didn’t know:
WE KNEW: This is an offensively potent Leafs team.
Everybody understood that Toronto had an embarrassment of riches on offense, and that’s certainly what’s played out thus far. The Buds are the league’s seventh-best team on offense, averaging 3.45 goals per game. And they’ve been led by the usual suspects – superstar center Auston Matthews (40 goals, 58 points in 46 games), star winger Mitch Marner (33 assists, 53 points in 47 games), and William Nylander (38 assists, 61 points in 47 games).
In addition, defenseman Morgan Rielly has had an excellent season, posting 33 assists and 40 points in 47 games).
What the Leafs lack defensively, they make up for when they have the puck, and while defense is what usually wins Stanley Cup championships, Toronto management is hoping the team’s offense is the ultimate difference-maker.
WE DIDN’T KNOW: Goalie Ilya Samsonov would be a Jeykll-and-Hyde performer.
Heading into the season, it was presumed that veteran Ilya Samsonov would split the Leafs’ netminding with youngster Joseph Woll. However, Samsonov struggled greatly early on, losing the starter’s job entirely and being demoted to the American League to find his game. And that’s exactly what happened, with Samsonov rallying to reclaim an NHL job of late. Third-stringer Martin Jones did admirable work in the absence of Woll and Samsonov. Still, if Samsonov can continue his stellar play, GM Brad Treliving will have an interesting decision to make between Samsonov and Jones.
Woll is clearly the future of the team, so he’s going nowhere. And Samsonov is only signed through this season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer; Jones will also be a UFA, so Toronto may wind up trading Jones for help on defense. In any case, the Leafs’ netminding has fluctuated between being a strength and a weakness, and it will be fascinating to see what Treliving decides to do with his goalies.
WE KNEW: The Leafs were augmenting their lineup with veterans on short-term deals and kicking the can down the road to decide whether or not to keep them long-term.
From veterans, including forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi and defenseman John Klingberg, Toronto has a number of players on one-year contracts. And until such time as their salary cap situation clears up – that time would be after the 2024-25 season – we can see Treliving continuing that trend next year. Klingberg definitely won’t be back, and Bertuzzi and Domi haven’t exactly lit the league on fire with their contributions on offense, so it’s unclear if either of them will stick around following this season.
But if Domi and Bertuzzi do move on, the Leafs will more than likely offer similar contracts to other forwards who become UFAs this summer. The two forwards may have a choice about whether to be paid handsomely or to be part of a winning organization. Still, Treliving probably already has UFA targets in mind if Bertuzzi and Domi leave the franchise.
WE DIDN’T KNOW: Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson have proven to be genuine up-and-coming NHLers.
Although we’ve heard a lot in recent years about Knies and Robertson being the future of the Leafs, we didn’t get concrete proof of their abilities at the NHL level until this season. Knies has thrived on Toronto’s top line, generating eight goals and 17 points in limited minutes in 45 games. Robertson has been more of a hit-or-miss-type player, often being a healthy scratch but still producing seven goals and 14 points in 29 games. They provide the cheap talent the Leafs need to offset their core four forwards’ massive salaries, so there’s next-to-no chance Treliving trades either player.
If Toronto does need to include assets to acquire defensive help, we see them dealing other Leafs prospects and/or draft picks. Knies and Robertson are going to be wearing Blue and White for quite some time.