Consistently-Solid Maple Leafs Never In Better Position To Do Serious Playoff Damage

The Toronto Maple Leafs head to the NHL’s week long All-Star break in a fairly terrific position – second in the Atlantic Division standings, and with the third-most standings points (70) in the entire league. After a four-game losing skid in late October, the Leafs have not lost more than two games in a row the rest of the season thus far. Credit for that should be shared by head coach Sheldon Keefe, but kudos also are due for GM Kyle Dubas for providing Keefe with enough organizational depth to push them through severe bites from the injury bug.

Indeed, whether it was overcoming the early-season injury absences of goalies Ilya Samsonov and Matt Murray, pushing forward through the health woes of defensemen Morgan Rielly, Jake Muzzin and T.J. Brodie, or now, dealing with sidelined superstar Auston Matthews, the Leafs have proven to be incredibly resilient in the face of injuries. Yes, they tend to play down to the level of their opponents sometimes – seven of their 20 total losses (regulation-time, and extra time combined) have come against lesser lights: two defeats by Arizona, two defeats by Montreal, and one-game losses to San Jose, Anaheim and Ottawa – but by-and-large, the Leafs also have shown up to rise above the challenge more often than not, with strong games against the first-place-in-the-Atlantic Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, New Jersey Devils, Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning.

Still, there’s an overwhelming feeling in hockey circles that Toronto is not nearly done tweaking the roster before the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline. CapFriendly.com projects Dubas will have only $1.13 million in salary cap space to work with, but the Leafs’ first-round pick, either this season or next season, is believed to be in play for the right type of acquisition – a point-producing forward with playoff experience, as well as size and a hard-nosed game, or a stay-at-home defenseman who will punish opponents in front of Toronto’s net. Those two types of players aren’t readily available, but the next month will increase the separation between buyers and sellers, and the Buds undoubtedly will be in the former group of teams.

Once Matthews returns from a knee injury in a few weeks, the Leafs’ offense will get a boost. But with the continued evolution of young stars Mitch Marner and William Nylander, as well as the point-per-game dependability of captain John Tavares, there’s no desperate need for Dubas to go out and acquire a marquee name – a Ryan O’Reilly, a Timo Meier or a Vladimir Tarasenko – to make his team more dangerous with the puck. That said, if Dubas was able to land a high-impact veteran, Toronto would be in prime position to realistically challenge the Bruins and Bolts in the post-season. They still might be able to with the roster they have now, but the Leafs are going to hear from the doubters until such time as they demonstrate they’re not the same team that has underwhelmed in the playoffs in recent memory.

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Are we suggesting the Leafs should push all their chips in by the deadline, and make their biggest playoffs push to date? Yes, yes we are. This team has shown it can dominate, and with Samsonov emerging as their No. 1 goalie, they don’t have to worry about who’s between the pipes. (The recent injury to Murray may only open up the option to keep youngster Joseph Woll as Samsonov’s backup. Again, though, there’s solid depth here.) Expectations have never been greater for their current core, but that’s because the team has thrived on the grand majority of occasions this season.

The all-star break gives the Leafs some breathing room to get all their hands back, healthy and on deck the rest of the way. If Toronto does wind up at full strength by the deadline, Dubas will have more than enough of a sample size to use as a base for his roster decisions. But it’s clear, the Leafs are good – really good – and they’ve got the talent to finally exorcise their playoff demons and give Toronto fans some much-longed-for positive emotional payoff.