Don't look now, but the Leafs have FOUR players in the top-20 in league scoring
Coming into this season, we knew that the Leafs had a lot to prove after yet another disappointing 1st round loss. Sure, the loss against Tampa in the first round this year felt different than the loss against Montreal in the first round last year, but at the end of the day, losses all the same.
The Leafs have a flair for the dramatic, going 4-4-2 to start the year, leading many to believe that the sky might be falling in Toronto and that perhaps the team isn't as good as we expected them to be this season. Well, that was then and this is now. Since that 4-4-2 start, the Leafs have gone 9-1-3, bringing their collective record up to 13-5-5. They've racked up 31 points through 23 games and currently have sole possession of 4th in the overall league standings.
There is a lot to like about this year's Leafs team. They're getting quality goaltending from both Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov - though they've both endured some injury issues early on - and when called upon, Erik Kallgren, the team's third string goalie, has provided solid enough goaltending to keep the team in games and gave them a chance to win. The defense has played well, even going so far as to excel amid injuries to Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie. That's almost unheard of. Now, to top it off, the Buds have FOUR players in the top-20 in league scoring.
The Leafs' "Core 4" have not escaped all forms of criticism this year, with Marner and Matthews starting slow, forcing head coach Sheldon Keefe to shuffle the deck and separate the 2015 and 2016 1st rounders. But since that time, both have been clicking in their new partnerships - Marner with Tavares and Matthews with Nylander. Credit to Tavares, who has seemingly found the fountain of youth. He's been great since the start of the season - even when his team was trying to shake the rust off.
Matthews has arguably taken the most criticism this year, failing to produce to the same level that he did last season when he won the Rocket Richard and Hart Trophies, as well as the Ted Lindsay Award. The reigning league MVP has struggled to find the net at 5-on-5 this season, which has been a strength for him for his entire career up until now. His shooting percentage is also at an all-time low this season. Having said that, even while "slumping", Matthews has managed to rack up 24 points in 23 games.
Mitch Marner currently leads the Leafs with 27 points through 23 games, good for 10th in league scoring. Tavares is tied for 14th with 25 points, while Matthews and Nylander are both tied for 19th with 24 points. What's crazy is that the Leafs haven't even begun to fill the net the way they did last season. Once overall team scoring begins to rise (and to an extent, it has been) we could see all four of these star players' names rising up the scoring list. I'd be curious to know who the last team to have four players in the top-10 in league scoring.. has it ever been done? That's a song for another day.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 27 | 387 ANSWERS Don't look now, but the Leafs have FOUR players in the top-20 in league scoring Which Leaf will finish with the most points this season? | ||
| Mitch Marner | 260 | 67.2 % |
| John Tavares | 24 | 6.2 % |
| Auston Matthews | 80 | 20.7 % |
| William Nylander | 23 | 5.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
