10 of 56

Simon B

    In a 56 game schedule, every game counts. It's hard to believe that the Leafs are already done one-fifth of their regular season. In a normal season, game 10 is usually when we can get a good feel for what the team's identity is. Are they defensive? Are they high-flying? Can they compete? But this year those first 10 games had a lot more importance than just telling us what the team is. Sure we can answer those questions but with only 46 games to go, every point counts.

    This is a little bit of a review on the Leafs first 10 games in 2021. Who's been good, who's disappointed, and any other surprises that there's been so far.

The Backbone(s)

    On the goaltending front, starter Frederik Andersen had a difficult first 2 games against Montreal and Ottawa. He allowed 9 goals and it looked like we were headed towards another inconsistent start to the year for Andersen. They played Jack Campbell the third game but ever since the 4th game against the Jets he's been much better. He only allowed a maximum of 3 goals in regulation since January 18th and bailed the team out more than a few times. Jack Campbell, the backup, was really good in his first 2 starts. He only let in 2 goals per start but he was injured in his last start against the Flames on the 24th. The team only said he would be out for "weeks" with a leg injury. Goalies and injuries are a tricky subject so I don't blame the Leafs if they take his recovery slowly. Their current backup, Miachel Hutchinson hasn't played a game yet and I'm pretty sure the Leafs will want to keep it that way. He was not very good at all last year as the team's backup (before they acquired Campbell via trade in January 2020).

Getting Stronger

    Defense. The Leafs Achilles heal for as long as I can remember. They thought they fixed it last year by bringing in Cody Ceci and Tyson Barrie but those signings didn't work out at all. Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly, and Travis Dermott all missed games with injury last year as well which made their defensive corp look like a junior one at times. However, in the offseason, GM Kyle Dubas added some pieces that so far have fit in well. Morgan Rielly finally has a proper defensive partner in T.J Brodie, Justin Holl has come into his own on the "shutdown" pair with Jake Muzzin and they finally have some depth on the back end with Dermott, Bogosian, Lehtonen, Rasmus Sandin (who hasn't played yet) and Timothy Liligren (who hasn't played yet either). Reilly looks much freer to jump into the rush and display his offensive abilities with a defensively sound Brodie to back him up. Justin Holl has exploded out of the gate with some big defensive plays all while contributing with some assists on the other side of the ice. Dermott and Lehtonen are fighting for that 6th defensive spot. They've been alternating games and both play with Bogosian when they're in the lineup. Lehtonen does have the advantage though because Coach Keefe has been slotting him in on that second power-play unit. Overall, this defensive group has been a breath of fresh air to start the regular season. If things continue to trend in this direction, I can see this team winning a few playoff rounds come the spring.

Firepower

    The offense has never been a place leafs nation had to worry about. Their top-six is just about as skillful as they come. The top line of Matthews, Marner, and Hyman (Thornton was on this line instead of Hyman before he got injured) has been really dominant for long stretches of games. The Tavares line (with Nylander and Mikheyev) has been really quick of late and is scoring a ton of important tying or go-ahead goals. The third line (Kerfoot, Simmonds, and one of either Engvall or Vesey) is the fastest of the four lines and it has caught a lot of teams by surprise with their ability to win puck battles and keep opponents in their own zone. This novelty might wear off though because teams play each other so often that opponents will figure out how to stop them eventually. The fourth line has been a mixture of players. Travis Boyd, Joey Anderson, Jason Spezza, and Adam Brooks have all had turns there but they've been effective on most nights having good shifts where they shut down the other team and get set up good shifts for the top lines. Keefe also doesn't need to play that line as much, so it's not the biggest factor in the world. The power play has been one of the most effective in the league, functioning at a rate above 40%.

The Wrap

    The Leafs are 7-2-1, a record good enough for first in the North division but they have a lot of games against the Canadiens, Canucks, and Jets ahead. Those games will matter a lot because those are the teams trying to catch them in the standings. creating a gap in points will be vital to lengthen Toronto's leash down the stretch. 

        Thanks for reading! I'd love your comments and questions.

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