What the Leafs are doing right now with their banged up blueline is nothing short of spectacular
With an offence as stacked as the one that the Toronto Maple Leafs possess, their team defense and goaltending has always come into question over the last few seasons. They never had enough high-end or top-caliber rearguards or netminders and it was always seen as their downfall as they ultimately fell in the post-season.
2022-23 has been a revelation for the backend, which is saying something when you consider the fact that they are without Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, Jake Muzzin and, more recently, Jordie Benn. Their top-6 on Saturday night were Mark Giordano, Justin Holl, Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, Victor Mete and Mac Hollowell. If this had been the opening night D corps, Leafs Nation would have imploded. Surprisingly, however, the Maple Leafs are currently 11th in the league in 5v5 expected goals against at 2.52.
The Leafs currently sit 2nd in the Atlantic Division with a 15-5-6 record, even with all the injuries that have piled up on their back end and with their 2 starting goaltenders each having spent a stint on the IR. Last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning, 39-year-old Mark Giordano skated 25 minutes, Holl played 26 minutes, Sandin played 21 minutes, Liljegren 19 minutes, Mete played 13 minutes, and Hollowell played 10.
They are playing up to task, they are exceeding expectations, and they have quelled the trade rumours for the time being. Elliotte Friedman said the Leafs are currently scouring the trade market right now but because of how well they've been playing, they don't have to rush and make a move on impulse for the sake of making a move as evidenced by their goals against and more importantly their expected goals against - which is near the top of the league.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 4 | 351 ANSWERS What the Leafs are doing right now with their banged up blueline is nothing short of spectacular If the Leafs continue racking up points in the standings with Muzzin, Rielly and Brodie out, should they explore moving one of their high-priced blueliners for some help on the wing? | ||
| Yes | 156 | 44.4 % |
| No | 195 | 55.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
