By now, the new NHL season is a couple of weeks deep. Most teams are approaching the 10-game mark in their respective seasons and can start to see where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
It’s no different for Sheldon Keefe and his Toronto Maple Leafs who sit at 5-2-1 through their first eight games of the 2023-24 season tied with two other clubs for second in the Atlantic Division.
While some things have gone right for the Maple Leafs out of the gate, other aspects of their team game has failed them to this point in the season — including what’s going on between he pipes and the health of their blue line.
With that, here’s a look at the first edition of Maple Leafs’ three up and three down for the 2023-24 season.
Plus One: Joseph Woll Building His Season Brick By Brick
Well, it’s safe to say that no one had Jospeh Woll coming out of the gate as strong as he has for the Maple Leafs. The 25-year-old goaltender is making a case for the team’s net early with his a 3-1-0 record with a 1.33 goals against average (GAA) and .961 save percentage (SV%) through four games.
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He sits atop the NHL in goals saved above expected and is top-five in both GAA and SV% early in the season. What makes his play so exciting is that he is a home-grown product for the Maple Leafs — drafted and developed organizationally, which the team has been looking for for some time.
Now, there’s no reason to believe that he’s going to fully steal the Maple Leafs’ net from Ilya Samsonov yet, but it’s certainly heading in that direction if he continues to increase his stock with his play while Samsonov’s goes the other direction.
Minus One: Ilya Samsonov Battling Himself
On the other side of the goalie duo, Samsonov has struggled to get going after re-signing with the Maple Leafs in the offseason through arbitration. He has arguably been his harshest critic and even discussed the mental toll its taken on him and his family as he’s struggled to find his game. But the Maple Leafs and Keefe are urging those outside the organization to relax and let him play.
To this point, he’s 2-1-1 through five games. His 3.99 GAA and .841 SV% are the more telling numbers as he’s allowed some weak goals, including the first Ryan O’Reilly goal on Saturday in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators.
Granted, through the second and third periods he did look more comfortable against the Predators, Samsonov’s play has been one of the biggest question marks for the Maple Leafs early in the season.
Sure, it’s a rough start and it’s magnified by Woll’s play, but looking at Samsonov’s career numbers it’s not something the Maple Leafs should expect for the entirety of the season.
Plus Two: William Nylander’s Hot Start Comes in Contract Year
With a goal against the Predators on Saturday, William Nylander joined three other Maple Leafs as the only four in franchise history to kick off a season with an eight-game point streak — including Frank Mahovlich (1961-62), Lanny McDonald (1976-77) and John Anderson (1982-83).
Through the first eight games, Nylander has six goals and 12 points and has three goals in his last four games. He’s averaging the most ice-time in his career at just over 20 minutes per game this season and has the highest shooting percentage of his career to this point as well (17.6 percent).
Adding to that, Nylander is fourth in the league in offensive zone recoveries per game (10.4) behind only Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, Tim Stutzle and Nikita Kucherov. It’s these types of numbers that make him so dangerous every time he’s on the ice. On top of that, Nylander’s playmaking has been on full display this season with six assists through eight games — making him a threat to shoot or pass any time he has the puck.
Talk about a good way to kick off a year when you’re up for a new contract, Nylander might just be playing himself out of Toronto and what the Maple Leafs can afford.
Minus Two: Banged Up Blue Line
First it was Jake McCabe. On Saturday in Nashville, the Maple Leafs faced two scares when it looked like Morgan Rielly had been hurt, followed by Timothy Liljegren leaving the game with what the team is calling a lower-body injury.
The good news is McCabe’s injury isn’t as worrisome as was first expected. An MRI on Saturday revealed that it’s a groin injury that will keep him out for a little bit. As for Rielly, he returned to the game, but Liljegren will be evaluated in the coming days.
Already William Lagesson has been recalled by the Maple Leafs and played nearly 11 minutes against the Predators with one shot. That said, the depth on the Maple Leafs blue line will be tested if Liljegren is out for any significant time.
Simon Benoit would be an obvious call-up for the Maple Leafs, but they do have other options and we could see another call-up in the coming days. The only issue is roster spots and the Maple Leafs will have to look at that front before they make another move.
Plus Three: Fraser Minten Back in Kamloops
To make room for the Lagesson call up, the Maple Leafs had to make a roster spot available. That came with the team sending Fraser Minten back to the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers which makes sense following a handful of healthy scratches with the big club.
The move is likely the best for Minten’s development. While it was good to see him make the team after a strong camp, it was clear he was maybe one step shy of being a full-time NHL ready prospect.
Related: McCabe Injury Opens the Door for Maple Leafs’ Benoit, Lagesson
Keefe spoke on Minten and his run with the big club saying, “He should be really proud and feel good about what he’s done to earn an opportunity to play in the NHL…He’s just got such terrific perspective and maturity.”
The move will give Minten a chance to play with his younger brother, Bryce, who is a WHL rookie with the Blazers this season. That said, don’t be surprised if you see him traded to a contender at some point during the season which would likely rule him out of another stint with the Maple Leafs come playoff time.
Minus Three: Tougher Atlantic Division
Finally, the Maple Leafs are entangled in a much tougher division than they’ve seen in recent seasons. Early on, the Boston Bruins continue to be a dominant team even without the likes of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, while the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens all sit above .500 just two weeks into the season.
Obviously there’s a lot of hockey left to play, but the Red Wings look like they’re ready to take the next step, while the Senators are a sneaky good team sitting nearly the bottom of the division for now — but don’t count them out either.
Either way, with injuries already piling up, the Maple Leafs are going to be in tough this year when it comes to their Atlantic Division rivals.
