The Toronto Maple Leafs have successfully punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth consecutive season. While the 2023 postseason saw them win their first series since 2004, the run was short lived as they lost to the Florida Panthers in five games in the second round.
This season has been a roller coaster ride with inconsistencies, injuries and a lot of roster decisions made to this point. Things are going to get difficult as head coach Sheldon Keefe needs to ice a roster that can be competitive and give him the best chance to win every game. Luckily for him, he may already have everything in place.
With Mitch Marner back in the fold and Calle Jarnkrok inching closer to a return from a hand injury, most of the forward spots are set in stone. Even with Jarnkrok’s eventual return, there are two players up front and one on the backend that have stood out and have all but likely secured their playoff spot when it all starts in a few weeks.
Ryan Reaves
Ryan Reaves’ career as a Maple Leaf started off well, showing off his physicality and ability to drop the gloves. In his first two games, he delivered on what general manager Brad Treliving sought to bring in, but then things started to decline. He wasn’t as consistent, the fourth line was the weakest link on the team, he dealt with an injury and was a healthy scratch for stretches of games. He never saw a game for six weeks and was doing everything he can to regain his confidence.
Well, the Reaves we saw at the beginning of the season is back and fiercer than ever before. The last few weeks have seen Reaves get into a number of fights being more physical and intense, showing what he was brought in to do. Last week, he set the tone physically against the Florida Panthers and won fights against Tampa Bay Lightning’s Tanner Jeannot and Montreal Canadiens’ Michael Pezzetta. The addition of Connor Dewar to the fourth line has also given both Reaves and David Kampf better results at five-on-five, having a 66.67 goals for percentage, a 63.56 expected goals for percentage and a 54.55 scoring chances for percentage. They’re becoming more relied upon and aren’t hemmed in their own zone as much.
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Although he may not produce offensively, Reaves has done a great job providing a net front presence, getting in on the forecheck and using his underrated speed to beat defenders for a scoring chance. A few months ago, Reaves was probably in trouble of losing his roster spot for the postseason. However, his resurging tenacity and physicality has solidified his spot on the fourth line. His style of play is what playoff hockey is made for. While he may be the odd-man out if the team elects to go for more offense, he’s definitely a lock for Game 1with his play recently.
Bobby McMann
At one point the Maple Leafs were in dire need of secondary scoring as it’s something that could be a difference maker in the playoffs. The Core Four of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares were doing much of the heavy lifting most of the season. The rest of the team, were hit or miss as they would go hot or cold over the season.
There’s a reason why the Maple Leafs extended Bobby McMann. It all started when he scored a hat trick against the St. Louis Blues in February. It was the opportunity he was looking for to potentially find his place in the lineup. Since then, he’s been extremely productive and has even found himself in the team’s top-six at times before he was put with Tavares and Marner against the Canadiens. Coincidentally, he scored in the Maple Leafs’ 4-2 win. Over his last 26 games, McMann has scored 13 goals and has tallied 17 points a 0.65 point per game average. When he’s on the ice at 5-on-5, he has a 62.22 GF%, showing his offensive impact and results.
McMann’s speed and ability to be aggressive on the attack is what has got him to the point of moving further up in the lineup. It continues to show in every game that he’s putting in the work and the effort is there consistently. He’s become more of a fixture than highly touted prospects like Matthew Knies and Nick Robertson. As a result, he’s a player that can be an underrated performer in the postseason if he continues to excel.
Simon Benoit
Simon Benoit has quickly become a fan favourite, going from the seventh/ eighth defenseman on the depth chart to being a steady second pairing defender in a short amount of time. He has quickly earned more minutes and has taken on more responsibility throughout the season. Benoit continues to battle for a spot, as the left side of the Maple Leafs defense is crowded, but he definitely can steal one when the playoffs roll around.
Benoit prides himself on providing a steady, shut down defensive presence for the Maple Leafs. At a per 60 rate at 5-on-5 with 500 minutes played, he has the lowest shots against with 24.05 and the second lowest goals against with 2.04. Those numbers show the tremendous impact he has at mitigating shots and goals against when he’s on the ice. He’s quick at getting into the lanes and closing gaps with his size and take anything away from reaching the net. He has 89 blocked shots (fifth on the team), but it’s his drive and physical play that has been on display, leading the team with 220 hits.
While he has a strong defensive game, Benoit does have some upside in breaking out and stretching plays forward. That combination could work well for the Maple Leafs in the postseason as his defensive game and quick transitional passing could be a difference maker if he’s on the roster for Game 1. In a situation where you need to defend a lead, you could count on him with his steady play and in your face style to pressure opponents.
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Whoever starts for the Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the postseason remains to be seen. However, Reaves, McMann and Benoit have made their cases to stay in the lineup and be ready to continue being impact players and elevate their play.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and NHL.
