A Crucial Element Contributing to the Leafs Early Success is Being Overlooked
There is one very important, crucial element, that is being overlooked in the early season success of the Maple Leafs, and that's their very strong defense.
The Toronto Maple Leafs made it a seventh win in eight games without Auston Matthews on Sunday against Utah, a decent performance to say the least for any team without its star player.
A quarter of the way into the season, the Leafs are among the hottest clubs in hockey, with the sixth-best mark in the league, tied with the Vegas Golden Knights, and sit three points up on defending Stanley Cup champion Florida atop the Atlantic Division.
Which begs a question: just how good are the Leafs this year?
Are they the top-tier Stanley Cup contender their record suggests, or closer to what many expected, a solid playoff team but not quite elite?
Are The Maple Leafs Actually Cup Contenders?
Here's what's clear so far: The offseason moves including hiring head coach Craig Berube along with inking deals with Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Jani Hakanpaa were brought in to fix up the 21st-ranked defense in the NHL with 3.18 goals against per game last season.
The offseason moves pass the eye test and seem to have fixed the team's defensive problems.
This season, Leafs have allowed just 2.48 goals per game, which puts them fourth in the league behind only Dallas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg.
More impressively though, has been the stinginess at five-on-five, allowing some of the fewest high-danger chances in the league, with only Minnesota having fewer.
The pairing of Chris Tanev and Jake McCabe has been the best defensively, yielding just 6.4 high-danger chances per 60 minutes in their 200 minutes together, third-best among pairings with at least 150 minutes logged.
That penalty kill leaped from 76.9% last season, 10th worst, to 83.6% this year, which is sixth best. When short-handed, the Leafs give up almost nine fewer shots and 13 fewer attempts per 60 minutes.
And then there's the goaltending: after last season's struggles, especially with regard to Ilya Samsonov falling out of the league, Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll have provided stability.
Together they've logged a .913 team save percentage, which ranks fourth in the league, and a .942 during this recent eight-game stretch that been the best in the league.
Stolarz, in particular, resembles a legitimate Vezina contender through the first quarter of the season and it's something fans have been asking for yearly; pairing strong defense with elite goaltending and what do you get? A team that has become almost impossible to score on.
What's Next For The Toronto Maple Leafs
Yet, despite that defensive success, the Leafs' offense without Matthews has managed to score just nine five-on-five goals in those eight games, tied for fewest in the league.
But for what they've lacked in even strength they've made up for on the powerplay, where they sit at 19.7%.
On the other side of the coin, they've allowed a league-low eight five-on-five goals over that same span.
Fewest scored, fewest allowed, it's a strange but telling stat about their recent performance.
The power play has started to show some life after an ugly initial stretch to start the season.
The defensive improvement is locked up long-term and provided the blue line does continue to stay healthy, they could be a massive force for years to come.
Wednesday affords the Leafs an opportunity to give some legs to their early-season credibility as the Panthers come to town. While it may be only a November game, Toronto still needs to make a statement and stay atop the Atlantic Division.
For now, at least, the Leafs seem more the complete team.
Whether it stands up to playoff pressure is a whole other story, but right now things are clicking, especially on goaltending and defense.
So to answer that initial question, yes, the new and improved defense and goaltending does make the Leafs a Stanley Cup contender, but now they have to prove it in the playoffs.
FAQ: The Crucial Element To Toronto's Success
Q1: What is the main crucial element that has led Toronto to success?
A1: The main element that has led Toronto to be successful has been the increased focus on defense and goaltending; a sore spot in recent years.
The addition of shutdown defenders and a consistent goaltending has led to Toronto being atop the Atlantic Division.
Q2: Who are the main players making a difference?
A2: The main players that have made a difference are Chris Tanev and Anthony Stolarz.
Tanev has provided elite shot blocking and defensive metrics while making his defense partner better, and Stolarz has provided the elite consistent goaltending Toronto has lacked.
In closing, the Maple Leafs have improved significantly from their previous seasons and the adjusted focus on defense and goaltending has led Toronto to change their mentality, and it's worked out so far in 2024-25.
