It is not a secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs have big goals for the 2023-24 season. It is entirely understandable, as they have one of the top rosters, at least on paper, in the entire league. However, their regular-season success has not amounted to much during the playoffs, and they are hoping to change that this campaign. Although the team as a unit will be under the microscope, they also have three players with the biggest expectations in 2023-24. Let’s go over each of them now.
Ilya Samsonov
Ilya Samsonov is one Maple Leaf who is heading into the new season with big expectations. After a breakout season in 2022-23, the 2015 first-round pick is looking to build off it this campaign. He proved last season that he is a legitimate starting goaltender, but can he be the goalie that leads the Maple Leafs to bigger postseason success? That will need to be answered this season.
Samsonov, 26, surely seems to have the potential to when looking at his 2022-23 regular-season stats. In 42 appearances, the 6-foot-3 goaltender sported a 27-10-5 record, a 2.33 goals-against average (GAA), and a .919 save percentage (SV%). Overall, it was a successful season for him after his up-and-down tenure with the Washington Capitals. Now we will need to wait and see if he can continue to be dependable for the Maple Leafs this campaign.
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Samsonov also earned a raise from the Maple Leafs through arbitration, as he was awarded a one-year, $3.55 million contract through his hearing. The increase in pay equates to an increase in expectations. Let’s see if the Russian netminder can live up to them this season.
Mitch Marner
Mitch Marner is easily one of the Maple Leafs with the highest expectations in 2023-24. The star forward will once again be relied on to be one of the Maple Leafs’ top offensive contributors. Yet, he also took a massive step forward with his defensive game last season, finishing third in the Selke Trophy voting. The Maple Leafs will now expect Marner to continue to be one of the NHL’s top two-way forwards, not only for this season but for many years to come.
Marner, 26, was arguably the Maple Leafs’ best all-around player during the 2022-23 season. In 80 games played, the 2015 first-round pick scored 30 goals and led the team with 69 assists and 99 points. He was also quite effective during the Maple Leafs’ playoff run, posting 14 points in 11 games. Overall, it turned out to be one of the best seasons of his career, and now the Maple Leafs will be looking for more of that from him in 2023-24.
A great deal of the Maple Leafs’ success, both in the regular season and in the playoffs, will be dependent on Marner’s play. He has blossomed into one of the NHL’s best players, and it will be a lot of fun to see what he can do this season. Perhaps this will finally be the year where we see him hit the 100-point mark.
Auston Matthews
Auston Matthews is the face of the Maple Leafs and their biggest superstar. Due to this, he will always have very high expectations heading into a new season. Similar to Marner, Matthews’ play will play a huge factor in how the Maple Leafs’ season ends up going.
Expectations for Matthews have also increased due to the massive four-year, $53 million contract extension he signed this summer. His soon-to-be $13.25 million cap hit (starting in 2024-25) will make him the highest-paid player in the NHL. Thus, he needs to continue to be among the NHL’s best offensive players. Given how well he has played throughout the entirety of his career, this should not be an issue for him.
Matthews, 26, appeared in 74 games last season for the Maple Leafs, posting 40 goals, 85 points, and a plus-31 rating. For his standards, it was a bit of a down year, as he scored 60 goals the season before and 41 in just 52 games in 2020-21. Thus, don’t be surprised if we see his production skyrocket back up this upcoming season.
Alas, it will be fun to see how this trio performs for the Maple Leafs this season. Besides these three, other players whom we should watch closely include William Nylander, John Tavares, Morgan Rielly, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Matthew Knies.
