The Athletic grades the Leafs for their season thus far and it's better than you might expect
As we are just over the quarter-mark of the season and quickly approaching the half-way point, the Leafs have found their groove. They've registered a point in 14 straight games going 11-0-3 with their last regulation loss coming on November 11th against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The "Core 4" are producing at point-per-game paces or higher, led by Mitch Marner's 22 game point streak, their goaltending has been excellent and their makeshift defense corps, who are missing three of their top-six, has been performing well above expectation.
Recently, The Athletic released its team report cards and while the Leafs started sluggish and "the sky was falling" when they returned home from their Western road trip, things have quickly turned around. The Athletic has projected the Leafs to around 117 points, with a 14% chance of winning the Stanley Cup. I know, I know, don't plan the parade until they make it out of the first round, which is true after six straight first round exits. However, The Athletic has given the Leafs a 67% (ironic) chance of making it to the second round this year. If that number doesn't bring them good luck, nothing will at this point.
Overall, the Leafs received a grade of A+, which was calculated by grading each position, forward line and defensive pairing using advanced stats and metrics. It was also calculated by grading their top six forwards, top four defensemen, the support around their core, their core players and their stellar goaltending. The first two were rated as "A+" while the second two were rated as "A", but surprisingly and questionably, their "starter" was rated as a "C+" and their overall goalies were rated as a "B-". Those two ratings make zero sense when Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov have been lights out for the Leafs so far. Murray hasn't lost since opening night against the Habs, while Samsonov has won four straight and eight of his last 10.
Many Leaf fans are saying the regular season doesn't matter this year, but if the playoffs were to start today, the Leafs would once again open the playoffs against Tampa. However, if the Leafs, who are 3 points behind Boston currently, were ahead of the Bruins, they would have a much more favourable first round matchup against the Islanders. So yes, the regular season does matter if the Leafs want to have an easier path of exiting the first round and we should all be rooting for their regular season success because of it.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 13 | 74 ANSWERS The Athletic grades the Leafs for their season thus far and it's better than you might expect Do you agree with the grade assigned to the Leafs? | ||
| Yes | 48 | 64.9 % |
| No | 26 | 35.1 % |
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