The Holiday Season is now upon us and with Christmas coming up, everyone is wondering if they’ve made Santa’s Naughty or Nice List. For the Toronto Maple Leafs, there have been a mixed bag of results in terms of how the players have behaved.
Surprisingly, they’re only three points out of first place in the Atlantic Division. The team still needs to find consistency in hopes of still being be competitive. The team does have its fair share of players that could be on the nice list, but they also have some players that have found their way onto the naughty list. Here is this season’s naughty and nice list for the Maple Leafs.
The Nice List
John Tavares
The one of many bright spots up front has been the consistency that John Tavares has played with over the last few seasons. That has carried over once again to this season as he is second in team scoring with 30 points in 29 games.
Tavares continues to be a work horse with his ice time and overall work ethic, winning battles and being a reliable centre on both sides of the puck. Not to mention, he remains a threat in the faceoff dot, having the fourth best faceoff winning percentage (60.9%) with players who have taken a minimum of 100 draws. Tavares continues to be a presence and an important player in every situation he’s in, be it along the boards, down low or in front of the net.
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Let’s not forget that he took a major discount to stay with the team in hopes of going on another deep run. That alone will put you on the nice list.
Oliver Ekman- Larsson
While Tavares is the most consistent forward for the Maple Leafs, Oliver Ekman-Larsson has probably been the Maple Leafs consistent defender to this point. With 20 points in 29 games, Ekman Larsson is on-pace for 56 which would be his most productive season in the league.
Seeing as the Maple Leafs have struggled to get offense and production from the blueline in the past, he has the second most points out of any blueliner on the team, while logging big minutes for them as he gets close to 21 minutes a night. With all the injuries plaguing the blueline, he’s proving to be an important player for them during some trying times. When he’s on the ice at five-on-five, the team has a goals for percentage of 56.86% and a high danger goals for percentage of 79.19%.
With all the struggles defensively, Ekman-Larsson has provided some great coverage within his own zone. If the Maple Leafs are going to turn things around, his consistency and veteran play will help.
Matthew Knies
After signing his six-year extension in the offseason, it’s clear to see why Matthew Knies has become a fan favourite. His power forward game and skillset are something the Maple Leafs have lacked in years past and he continues to deliver.
He had a breakout sophomore season where he had 29 goals and 29 assists and is on-pace for another potential career-breaking season in just his third NHL campaign. He’s third in team scoring with 28 points and continues to cement himself as one of the top young power forwards in the league. He can outmuscle players easily and can do a lot of damage in front of the net with his frame and hands in tight. He’s competitive and proves his value as a top line player every night.
When you also make comments that you thrive on pressure and want to play for the city, you’ll earn a special place in fans’ hearts.
The Naughty List
The Power Play
The clear front runner for topping the naughty list has been the Maple Leafs on the man advantage. You would expect with the amount of skill, power and ability to shoot, they would be in the top-10 in this category like they have been in the past.
However, they’re currently 31st overall as they’re clicking at 13.7%. They only have 10 goals to show for– which is last in the league– have given up three short-handed goals and their 111 shots have them ranked 24th. Clearly, the conversion has been lackluster and disappointing for a number of reasons. They’re not pushing the middle as often, being too passive on the perimeter and their entries is always concerning as they’re always slow entering the zone when defenders have already set up at the line to deny them.
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They continue to find answers, even moving Auston Matthews to the point, but that’s not going to do anything when he’s a threat at mid to close range. They lack a defender that can get pucks on net and continue to exploit holes in the opposition’s defense.
Matias Maccelli
When the Maple Leafs acquired Matias Maccelli in the offseason, it was a low-risk move that could have its benefits. Many expected him to provide some sort of impact in the top-six and he has yet to deliver or put up any sort of consistency.
He only has nine points in his first 22 games as a Maple Leaf, going pointless in 14 games. Even though he was never going to be a permanent replacement for Mitch Marner, a lot were expecting a little bit more production, including myself. As a result, when you’re not playing well, you get scratched as he has been sitting and watching for six of the last seven games. The last game he saw minutes was against the Washington Capitals.
A lot of the other offseason additions have started to find their footing, but Maccelli has continued to struggle even when he was further up in the lineup. For that, he’s on the naughty list as his overall play hasn’t been up to a high standard.
Max Domi
Although he has picked up his play as of late, Max Domi still finds himself on the naughty list as the consistency and production overall has been questionable. He has five assists over his last five games, but with 11 points in 28 games– especially when you’re playing on the top line– is unacceptable.
Let’s not forget that his last two goals came back in October in a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames, his defensive play and decision making has cost the team at times. He has a five-on-five GF% of 34.38%, the second lowest amongst Maple Leafs forwards. When Domi is on the top line, they only have an expected goals for percentage of 47%. While he has played better, the results still aren’t there and he needs to pick it up if he wants to be on the top line. Otherwise, it might be better to still search for help as an improvement over him.
Statistics from Natural Stat Trick and Money Puck.
