Biggest concerns about the Leafs at the quarter-mark of the season
Through 19 games thus far, the Leafs have put together a real mixed-bag for the fans, which included some thrilling come-from-behind wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning, 3 Auston Matthews hat tricks, another breakout season from William Nylander and Nick Robertson finally beginning to produce with some regularity. There's another side to that coin, though, and it's not as exciting for the fanbase.
There are some positives to take away from the first 19 games to be sure, but there are also some glaring issues that need correcting sooner than later. Here are some of the top concerns with the team at the quarter-mark of the season, in no specific order.
Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews' inconsistency:
With Matthews and Marner only contributing 3 points each over their last 7 games, it's been tough sledding for the Buds to get anything going. Thankfully, the 2nd and 3rd lines have been producing, and the 4th line even chipping in with a few goals, but when two of your best players are not producing with any sort of regularity, it's certainly a concern.
Spotty goaltending:
The Leafs have had a tough time keeping the puck out of their net this season and, while it's not all on the goalies, you certainly want both Ilya Samsonov and Joseph Woll to make an extra save or two. Woll has been the better of the two netminders, owner of a .910 SV%, but his 2.92 GAA hasn't done the team any favours. Samsonov, on the other hand, has played better of late, but still boasts a 3.58 GAA and .878 SV%. Both guys need to be better.
The current D corps is leaving a lot to be desired:
Yes, the Leafs' blueline is banged up and has been for most of the year, but the same could be said about last year's group and still they performed amicably, ultimately propelling the Leafs towards a top-5 finish. This year, however, the D corps has been downright awful. The one plus is that Morgan Rielly is beginning to improve his overall game and has picked up a few tricks on the defensive side of the puck, but it's pretty clear that this team needs some help on the blueline - and soon.
Coaching/managing minutes:
There was a lot of talk coming into this season about whether the Leafs would extend Sheldon Keefe or even bring him back at all. In the end, Keefe was extended by Brad Treliving, but has still shown a lot of his same tendencies, including leaning too heavily on 2 lines and severely limiting ice time for his 3rd and 4th lines. One would have assumed that with how well the Robertson-Domi-Jarnkrok line has been playing, they'd be getting more than 9-11 minutes per game, but that's about where they're sitting most nights. Championship teams roll 4 lines and the fact that the Leafs are not is a pretty good indicator as to where they stand.
There are certainly more concerns to discuss, but these are probably the primary ones at this point of the season. Hopefully these issues are resolved sooner than later to avoid any potential doubts in the team's ability to win important games.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 27 | 469 ANSWERS Biggest concerns about the Leafs at the quarter-mark of the season What's the biggest concern with the Leafs right now? | ||
| Goaltending | 64 | 13.6 % |
| Coaching | 84 | 17.9 % |
| Defense | 265 | 56.5 % |
| Marner and Matthews not scoring | 56 | 11.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
