Leafs Notes: 2019-20 Season Preview
The Toronto Maple Leafs had quite the offseason, after an early postseason exit. Kyle Dubas and the rest of the management team knew that there were roster needs, and that cap space needed to be created. Dubas managed to get both of these things done, while re-signing key aspects of the teams to cap-friendly contracts. There were crucial additions and losses this offseason, but the core players remained the same for the most part.
The Leafs added three defensemen in the offseason via trade: Tyson Barrie, Cody Ceci and Ben Harpur. There were three forwards added to the roster in Alexander Kerfoot, Nick Shore and Jason Spezza. The key offseason losses were Nazem Kadri, Nikita Zaitsev and Connor Brown. Dubas re-signed Andreas Johnsson to a new four-year deal, while Kasperi Kapanen signed for the next three years. Mitch Marner was signed to a new six-year contract worth over $65 million. In all, Dubas did a decent job of accomplishing offseason goals, but there will need to be something done when Zach Hyman and Travis Dermott come off Long-Term Injury Reserve to get under the cap.
1) Offense
Th current forward group is a relatively young one with an average age of just 25.25 years old. The Leafs lost Kadri and Brown in two separate offseason trades. The forward group may be relatively young age-wise, but they have plenty of NHL experience under their belt. The Leafs have some scoring depth so the team shouldn’t have a problem finding the back of the net again this season.
The lineup is a balanced one with four decent lines that should all be able to produce. This season’s team has speed up front, which will be a big help getting through the neutral zone and into the offensive zone. The forward group has a decent mix of playmakers and goal scorers alike. The Leafs will need the forwards to play solid defense to help them win some games. There is no doubt that this offense should once again wreak some havoc on the opposition throughout the season.
2) Defense
The Leafs have a major need for a number one pairing defenseman so Dubas went out and acquired Barrie from the Colorado Avalanche. The seven defensemen on the current roster include: Barrie, Cody Ceci, Justin Holl, Martin Marincin, Jake Muzzin, Morgan Rielly and Rasmus Sandin. This group isn’t very deep talent-wise, but Holl or Marincin can hold his own in the bottom pairing.
The defense corps can skate and move the puck, which should help them to get the puck out of their own end. The defensemen will contribute on the offensive side of the puck. One good thing is that the Leafs’ blue liners have plenty of NHL experience. The one down side of this group is that they are not very good on the defensive side of the puck, and will turn the puck over leading to good scoring chances for the opposition.
3) The Goaltenders
The Maple Leafs will enter the season with the goaltending duo of Frederik Andersen and Michael Hutchinson. Andersen has been solid while with the Leafs and has won a lot of games for this team. He should come ready to play to start the season. The biggest question mark heading into the season will be how reliable Hutchinson can be as the backup goalie.
He should see some time in net to give Andersen a rest at key times during the season. Hutchinson played decent in his five games last season going 2-3-0 with a .914 save percentage and a 2.64 goals against average. He is a butterfly goalie so he just has to make sure that he doesn’t commit too early and leave the top of the net to shoot at. In order for the Leafs to have a successful season, Hutchinson will need to raise his game and become a reliable backup goalie.
4) Under Pressure: Mitch Marner
There were all kinds of rumors this offseason swirling around Mitch Marner including teams signing him to offer sheets. He was a restricted free agent and not under contract for this season, but the Leafs managed to get a deal done just in time for training camp to start. The 22-year-old will be the player under the most pressure this season after signing the huge offseason contract. Marner signed a new six-year contract worth $65,358,000 million, which came with a $10,893,000 million cap hit per season.
There will be a ton of pressure on this kid to produce especially after William Nylander laid an egg after signing his new contract last season. Marner just needs to go out and play his game. He shouldn’t have to press too hard, just let the game come to him. It should be a little easier for him since he isn’t joining the team midseason like Nylander did last season. Marner won’t let the pressure get to him and he’ll just go out on the ice and do what he does best, which is produce points.
5) Surprise Player: Alexander Kerfoot
The Leafs’ fans and management are going to be surprised by the play of this kid. He came over in a trade with the Avalanche in the offseason. Kerfoot can play in all three zones and has a good hockey IQ. He will make the right plays at the right time, and he will set up his teammates in the offensive zone. Kerfoot is defensively sound so he could be used on the penalty kill, and he could see some power play time, if needed.
Kerfoot will be the surprise player for this team because he was acquired in the offseason and the fans may not know a ton about his game. He is a versatile forward and he could see time up and down the lineup for the Leafs depending on injuries and who the team is playing. The forward may not be noticed every single game, but he will make an impact even if it is on the defensive side of the puck or just by making solid plays all night.
6) Bounce Back Player: Wiliam Nylander
This was probably the easiest choice to make in the categories. Nylander struggled after sitting about the first two months of the season last year with no contract. Once he signed and took the ice, it was obvious he wasn’t used to the game speed and was invisible on the ice, at times. It almost looked as though he wasn’t even skating or doing drills while he was sitting out. Nylander is too talented of a player to be lazy or unprepared, and come the start of the season he will be ready to play.
Nylander will be ready to go from the start of the season and he will get back to his normal production of around 60 points this season. He will see some power play time and could possibly play with Auston Matthews on a line so that will help his production. He will get out of the gate fast this season and if he hits a slump then he’ll bounce back rather quickly.
7) Break Out Player: Andreas Johnsson
Andreas Johnsson was the Leafs’ surprise player last season and I think the production at the NHL level continues this season. I think he will hit 70 points or more this season even playing in the bottom six. The kid will use his skating ability like he did last year to get into the offensive zone and get to where he needs to be to score some goals. Johnsson’s ability to see the ice well will help him to set up his teammates for some goals. Another reason he will get to 70-plus points on the season is that he likes to shoot the puck.
If he can get the puck to the net with traffic then one of his teammates can get the deflection or rebound chance. Johnsson will rack up 25 goals, 45 assists and 70 points this coming season, and he could very well eclipse these totals that I have predicted. Johnsson’s skating ability is going to create chances for himself and his teammates.
8) X-Factor: The Goalies
The goaltending is going to make or break the Leafs this season. The defense is a little bit better, but not by much from last season. Andersen and Hutchinson will have to be sharp and make saves to keep this team in games. The group in front of them is going to turn pucks over for prime scoring chances. The goalies will need to be ready at all times to keep the puck out of the net.
Andersen should put up Vezina type numbers again this season since he has been solid since playing for the Leafs. He will steal them some wins again this season just like he has every other season. Hutchinson is going to have to step up his game this season. The backup goalie will get some chances in net, and he needs to make the most of them. Hutchinson will be a huge part of how successful this team is this season.
9) Key to the Season: Defense
The Leafs will need to be a lot better defensively this season than they were last season. The team managed to give up a lot of point blank scoring chances, but Andersen cleaned them up. If the team can cut back on turning the puck over and playing better team defense then it could give them a better playoff position than the past few season. They could even avoid the Boston Bruins in the first round. The defense needs to step up its game and play smart for the Leafs to make the postseason.
10) Season Prediction
There is too much talent on this Maple Leafs team to not make the playoffs, so come April they will be there. They will outscore the opposition and Andersen will keep stealing some games for them. Hutchinson turns into a reliable backup and wins some games for the team too. The Leafs will have the same problem and there will be a first round exit in the postseason.
The defense will make crucial mistakes and the offense won’t be able to score as much since teams really ramp up the defensive pressure in the playoffs. Andersen will be solid, but let in a few cheap goals and Nylander will suddenly disappear from the lineup. It will be another long offseason for the Maple Leafs and their fans.
