One key reason why the Leafs will be better in 2023-24
The 2022-23 Toronto Maple Leafs were tied for second in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets - and only trailing the Vancouver Canucks - for having dressed the most defensemen with 15. They were also, incidentally, the only team within the top-8 of that list that qualified for the playoffs.
Justin Holl led the way with 80 games played followed by Mark Giordano with 78, Timothy Liljegren with 67, Morgan Rielly with 65, T.J. Brodie with 58, Rasmus Sandin with 52, Conor Timmins with 25, Jake McCabe with 21, Luke Schenn with 15, Jordie Benn with 12, Victor Mete with 11, Erik Gustafsson with 9, Mac Hollowell with 6, Jake Muzzin with 4, and Filip Kral with 2.
By the time the playoffs rolled around, the Leafs were comfortably set with Holl, Giordano, Rielly, McCabe, Brodie, and Schenn with Liljegren and Gustafsson fighting for some time as well.
A lot of that had to do with injuries at the start of the season for Rielly and Muzzin. The latter, unfortunately, was placed on the LTIR and remains there for the foreseeable future, while Rielly missed 5 weeks between the 21st of November and the 29th of December. Then, near the end of the season, Keefe was rotating players in and out to keep them spry for the playoffs.
Former General Manager Kyle Dubas made sure to address defensive depth ahead of the trade deadline as he swung for deals involving McCabe, Schenn, and Gustafsson. As we inch closer to the 2023-24 season, the Leafs are hoping that they can remain relatively healthy on the back end and not have to rely on their depth options as much as they did last season.
Comparatively, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Tampa Bay Lightning dressed 10 defensemen, the Florida Panthers and the Carolina Hurricanes dressed 9, and the Dallas Stars dressed 8.
On their roster right now are 7 dependable options in Rielly, Brodie, McCabe, Liljegren, Timmins, Giordano, and recently acquired John Klingberg, who should be an every day staple barring injuries. The Leafs could look to give Giordano more off days as the 39-year-old played in 89 out of a possible 93 games last year.
Conor Timmins, on the other hand, clawed his way into the lineup and did well for himself last season and will be an immediate option should anyone fall ill, get hurt, need rest, or Sheldon Keefe decides to scratch someone else or roll with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen again this year. Either way, the Leafs have a dependable core of able-bodied defensemen at their disposal, and if they don't have to worry about man games lost due to injury as much, their blueline should be better than it was last year by default.
| POLL | ||
AOUT 11 | 32 ANSWERS One key reason why the Leafs will be better in 2023-24 How many different defensemen will the Leafs be forced to utilize this season? | ||
| 8 or less | 5 | 15.6 % |
| 9-10 | 16 | 50 % |
| 11-13 | 7 | 21.9 % |
| 14-15 | 4 | 12.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
