Mitch Marner could not keep away from stating the plain.
It wasn’t simply that his Toronto Maple Leafs have been reeling from a 5-1 drubbing on Nov. 27 by the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. It was how the brutal defeat halted a semi-remarkable run of victories for the membership when so many gamers have been out of motion, together with captain Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies, Max Domi, Max Pacioretty, David Kampf and Ryan Reaves.
“We’re lacking half our staff up entrance, man,” stated Marner, shaking his head on the query of why Toronto could not generate any offense that night time. “It is powerful.”
And but, the Leafs have virtually constructed their season round overcoming adversity — and never simply on the damage entrance. Toronto’s been adapting to a brand new system too, underneath a brand new coach in Craig Berube, with out ever having the entire band collectively. Establishing — or changing — an identification is tough to do underneath the circumstances.
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Toronto is managing it thanks largely to Marner’s contributions (and sure, there’s extra on him later). However the membership’s success stretches past a singular aspect. These will not be the identical Maple Leafs who have been bounced from a first-round playoff sequence final spring for the third time in 4 years. They do not usually resemble these former iterations — and that is the purpose. Toronto is in search of completely different outcomes — and, for as soon as, really taking tangible steps to understand them.
Granted, the Leafs’ postseason fortunes are unpredictable and rightly on the again burner (for now). What Toronto’s focus is (and must be) on is successful underneath any situation — not all the time a earlier energy — and ultimately translating a lineage of regular-season success into one thing larger.
What’s modified for Toronto in making that achievable? How have they carried on by early-season hardships in comparatively dynamic trend, going toe-to-toe with the Panthers for prime seed within the Atlantic Division, and sitting prime 10 within the NHL in factors share?
Let’s have a look.
“IT KEPT COMING again to Craig.”
That is how Leafs common supervisor Brad Treliving launched Berube because the franchise’s head coach in Might, the simple “new voice” Treliving wished for Toronto after firing earlier bench boss Sheldon Keefe every week earlier.
Treliving had heard gamers would undergo a wall for Berube. However since he was employed, it has been Berube breaking down the Leafs’ previous limitations.
Earlier than Berube, Toronto’s fame was as an offensive powerhouse fueled — for higher or worse — by its so-called Core 4: Matthews, Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares.
The Leafs may rating. They have been flashy and enjoyable. And that offensive output helped them safe all method of regular-season accolades together with essentially the most single-season wins in franchise historical past (54) in the course of the 2021-22 marketing campaign. In the meantime, Matthews owns the franchise mark for many targets scored by a participant in a single season (69) from his eye-popping 2023-24 displaying.
Matthews has had a tough begin to this season, although. He missed 9 video games with an undisclosed damage that necessitated a visit to Germany looking for therapy. Toronto rallied with out their prime middle, going 7-2-0 because of a set of contributions that spawned an experimental moniker: the “Core Six.”
The expanded definition took place as Toronto is averaging fewer targets this season than another time within the Core 4 period, sitting twenty second within the league, with 2.90 targets per recreation. Over the identical stretch a 12 months in the past, Toronto was second general with 3.64 targets per recreation. In truth, since Matthews & Co. got here collectively, the Leafs have by no means completed the season beneath three targets per recreation.
Effectively, instances have modified. Toronto has simply 4 gamers with double-digit objective totals this season — Matthews simply scored his tenth in Saturday’s tilt at Detroit. The crucial output of Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann — who’ve taken on top-line tasks in Matthews’ absence — put them in elite firm with the Leafs’ different key offensive drivers.
As a result of that Core Six? They’ve 70 targets collectively this season. The remainder of the staff mixed has 21.
That imbalance of secondary scoring hasn’t derailed the Leafs for a number of causes — one of many largest being Marner’s all-world efficiency.
TORONTO’S TOP-LINE WINGER is a stunning power, with 10 targets and 40 factors in 30 video games, good for a share of ninth general within the league. Marner is likely to be weaving collectively the very best season of his profession, and the timing is ideal.
Marner, 27, is in a contract 12 months and poised to turn out to be an unrestricted free agent in July. He has been elite carrying Toronto’s offense by their well being issues, a lot in order that the asking worth on that subsequent contract feels perpetually pushed ahead. And you realize Marner has some placing comparable numbers to work with from his closest companions.
It was simply final season the Leafs have been in an analogous contract negotiation with Nylander, touchdown on an eight-year, $92 million pact. Matthews’ contract runs by 2026-27 with a median annual worth of $13.25 million. So, does Marner warrant one thing within the center? He is at the moment making $10.9 million, has bargaining energy and no obvious need to hurry into one thing with Toronto — particularly given his physique of labor this season and for his profession.
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Mitch Marner lights the lamp
Mitch Marner lights the lamp
The Leafs are holding their playing cards equally shut.
“I’ve realized to not touch upon that kind of stuff,” stated Leafs president Brendan Shanahan to TSN’s Gino Reda on the NHL Board of Governors assembly this month. “[Marner’s] enjoying nice hockey. He is been a fantastic participant for us for a very long time.”
Truthful sufficient. However in all of these seasons with the Leafs’ scoring prowess on the forefront, Toronto by no means achieved its final aspiration of being totally multifaceted.
Enter Berube, who has Toronto buttoned up like their Sunday greatest on the defensive finish.
WHILE THE LEAFS’ scoring is likely to be down, they’re holding opponents off the scoring sheet at a powerful degree. Toronto is fifth in targets in opposition to (at 2.60 per recreation) in comparison with fifteenth at the moment final season (3.18).
This can be a change from bygone Toronto groups brandishing a wide-open model of play that left them susceptible to back-end breakdowns (and there have been many). Treliving knew the Leafs wanted reinforcements on the blue line, and took a swing on the 2024 NHL draft by buying the signing rights to Chris Tanev, a pending unrestricted free agent. Tanev was the whole lot Toronto wished to anchor its protection — a premier stay-at-home participant with distinctive shot-blocking skill and a fame for shutting down the center of the ice.
Tanev was initially touted as a possible top-pairing accomplice for Morgan Rielly, however it has been Tanev and Jake McCabe who’ve redefined what Toronto does on protection. The duo suppresses extra possibilities than virtually another common duo, whereas being saddled with most of Toronto’s protection zone begins and their opponents’ hardest matchups. Tanev and McCabe have set the usual for Toronto forcing pictures from the perimeter and conserving high-danger possibilities more and more off the board.
It is not simply Tanev and McCabe who deserve credit score for Toronto’s improved defensive efforts, after all. There’s been a collective buy-in that has percolated with this staff for a while.
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“The large shift between this 12 months and former years is our play on the defensive aspect,” Shanahan stated. “You actually kind of admire what Florida did. They weren’t actually often called a defensive staff. They form of made a collective resolution, as a bunch, that they have been going to be an excellent defensive staff, and it bought them a championship. … There is a lengthy approach to go, however up to now, the dedication on the defensive aspect of the puck, the goaltending that we have been getting, knock on wooden, we simply wish to maintain bettering, getting higher at that.”
Ah sure, the goaltending. One other spot the Leafs are ecstatic about upgrading that is been not too long ago bit by the damage bug.
As famous, the ahead group has been decimated at instances. Marner and Nylander are the one regulars up entrance who’ve appeared in each recreation. Toronto has had higher luck with their defensemen and netminders staying wholesome — simply not currently. First, it was McCabe sitting out 5 video games with an upper-body damage. Now it is Anthony Stolarz becoming a member of a protracted listing of Leafs who’ve been listed as day-to-day this season.
Good factor Toronto has no expectation of sympathy from their league companions.
“We are the Leafs,” McMann stated. “Nobody feels unhealthy for us. Guys go down [but] in every single place we go, we’ll produce other groups’ greatest to go up in opposition to.”
TORONTO HAS BEEN answering that bell on the again of Stolarz. After he exited the primary interval of Thursday’s recreation in opposition to Anaheim with a lower-body damage, Berube could not cover his aid that the prognosis wasn’t worse. If it weren’t for Stolarz, the entire narrative of Toronto’s season is likely to be starkly completely different, however he may return later this week.
When requested about Stolarz being moved to IR on Sunday, Berube appeared to backpedal by saying, “we’ll get an replace on [him] in a pair days; I am not likely going to touch upon that now.”
This is not nice information for the Leafs. Dennis Hildeby — up from the American Hockey League and recent from recording an .889 save share within the Leafs’ come-from-behind win over Buffalo on Sunday — can solely achieve this a lot filling Stolarz’ spot alongside Woll.
Treliving signed Stolarz as a free agent final summer season after the veteran received a Cup with the Panthers backing up Sergei Bobrovsky. He has not solely paired with Joseph Woll to type the kind of dependable tandem Toronto’s been looking for in internet, however has excelled in Toronto’s vibrant highlight, whereas amassing the very best save share within the league amongst goalies with not less than 20 begins.
And Stolarz’s dominance has helped propel the Leafs even whereas lacking giant components of the common lineup. Having the ability to lean on top-tier goaltending hasn’t all the time labored out for the Leafs — one thing Keefe is aware of all too properly. And Toronto’s former coach had excessive reward for Stolarz after he placed on a clinic beating Keefe’s New Jersey Devils final week.
“Greatest goaltending within the league on the opposite aspect,” surmised Keefe when requested what made the distinction for Toronto.
That go with may apply to Woll as properly. He is posted an 8-4-0 file with a .918 save share and a pair of.24 goals-against common, rating among the many league’s greatest goaltenders with a minimal 10 begins.
The nagging subject with Woll has been his well being. The 26-year-old has been sidelined at a number of instances throughout his Leafs’ profession with accidents, even pressured out of a crucial Recreation 7 begin in opposition to the Boston Bruins in Toronto’s first-round playoff sequence final spring. He was additionally sat out to start out this season with “lower-body tightness.”
That is actually what opened the door for Stolarz to step in because the Leafs’ starter — and he hasn’t appeared again. Toronto stays hopeful Stolarz will not miss a lot time, however even a short absence will enable the Leafs to indicate they will proceed to rally by hardships that will have been obstacles up to now.
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As a result of the Leafs are completely different now, proper?
Have they proved it but? And might that even be performed within the common season — or will they should show it within the playoffs?
What’s true now could be that Toronto does not solely resemble the staff it was once. There is a grittiness to the group that goes past simply an developed model of play. The Leafs themselves somewhat extra hardened. Rather less playful. And perhaps considerably extra centered on the truth that the prime years for that ahead core — whether or not it is 4 or six — are dwindling.
Toronto’s window remains to be open. Now it is time to see if they will throw sufficient weight to maintain it from closing with one other disappointing thud in Might.
