Ovchinnikov 137
Joined: Apr. 2019
Posts: 10,412
Likes: 11,982
Keys for this season
Matthews’ health is a huge factor for Toronto this season. They need him healthy and firing the puck from everywhere to compete in the very tough Atlantic division this season. Missing the first week or two is one thing, but having a nagging injury throughout the season is certainly different. Hopefully his wrist will be better than last year. The Leafs only go as far as Matthews carries them. He needs a great playoff performance.
Goaltending: Both goalies need to stay healthy, which hasn’t always been the case for both of them, and they need to produce. Campbell and Mrazek had really good numbers last year and will need to continue that great play for the Leafs to have success.
Secondary Scoring: They will need to have more than just their big 4 putting up points. Last season both Matthews and Marner were top-5 in the NHL in scoring, and it’s very likely both Tavares and Nylander finish the season in the top 20. After them, though, who knows. Ritchie, Kase, Bunting, and Spezza need to produce some offence to take some pressure off the big 4.
Special Team: The addition of new assistant coach Spencer Carbery to run the power play could be a huge boost for the Maple Leafs to shake up their old system, which became too predictable and teams caught on with their entries and setup. With Marner assuming the bumper role and Matthews on his off wing for a one-timer, the Maple Leafs now have a second shooting option in Nylander. With Nylander on his off wing to make the top unit less predictable.
New assistant coach Dean Chenoweth prefers an aggressive penalty kill, which should suit the Leafs’ speedy penalty killers in Engvall, Kampf, Marner, Nylander(has been given looks), Kase, and Kerfoot. Between an aggressive penalty kill that forces the opponent to make hurried choices, great underlying shot suppression numbers, and a goaltending duo that has demonstrated an ability to stop pucks at high rates while shorthanded, hopefully the Leafs see much-improved penalty kill results this season.
Potential Call Ups:
Semyonov
Robertson
Anderson
Ho-Sang (if they sign NHL deal)
SDA
Biega
Menell
Rubins
Hutchinson
TDL targets
Olofsson
Fabbri
Forsberg
Rakell
Wood
Domi
Hertl
Lyubushkin
Miller
Stecher
Ekholm
GO LEAFS GO