Last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs had defensive issues. With 3.18 goals allowed per game in the regular season, good enough for the 13th-lowest total in the league in the stat. The team was not at the bottom of the barrel by any means, but they needed to improve.
The early 2024–25 season has seen good signs with new additions Chris Tanev and especially Oliver Ekman-Larsson as the team currently sits at the eighth-least goals allowed per game at three. While this number shows slight improvement, there has been a noticeable outlier among the team’s defence corps. That being the lacklustre play of returning Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit.
Early struggles
Benoit has been essentially a non-factor for the team in the early goings of 2024–25, putting up just a single assist on the year, which also just happens to be his only point. While his totals from the 2023–24 season weren’t jumping off the page by any means—four assists and five points in 64 games—he at least helped in other areas. Most notably, Benoit ranked eighth amongst all NHLers and second among all defencemen when it came to hits with 247 on the year. He currently sits at just 24 hits so far, meaning he is on track for roughly 144 this season, more than 100 fewer hits than last year.
Another component of Benoit’s game that has gone down is his creation of quality scoring chances. Last season, Benoit was by no means a top shot creator, but he did have an expected goals-for percentage of 52.23. This season, that number has dropped nearly 10% to 43.4, the worst of any Leafs defenceman by a significant margin. This makes Benoit, by this metric alone, essentially a goal deterrent offensively when he is on the ice.
The eye test
Stats aside, Benoit simply hasn’t looked like a positive for the Leafs. In one instance two weeks back in the team’s Oct. 21 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Benoit looked completely laughable on one play. With the Leafs up 1–0 in the first period, Benoit chased Lightning winger Nick Paul on a breakaway. Paul wound up having his shot stopped by Anthony Stolarz but immediately after, Benoit fell to the ice, sliding into the net and bringing the puck along with him. While it was rather unlucky in part, the play displayed Benoit’s ‘liability factor’ at this early stage of the season.
If Benoit wants to remain part of the team’s defence unit he must improve his efficiency and overall play. News has come out that Jani Hakanpaa is nearing a return to the NHL squad after playing a game with the Toronto Marlies this past weekend. And if Benoit continues his downward trajectory along with low point and hit totals, his spot will likely end up in the more capable hands of Hakanpaa.
The Leafs are currently sitting at a 7–5–2 record, yet are still solid enough in the Atlantic Division standings. However, in the grand scheme of the league, the team sits just above the middle of the pack overall. While the team’s defence has definitely improved thus far, they can’t risk having a defensive liability on the ice that could, in part, allow them to slip further down the standings. The writing is on the wall for Benoit. Play better or be replaced.
