With the Toronto Maple Leafs’ recent slip in performance heading into the Christmas break (losing both of their last two games by three goals); the Christmas break is nothing short of a miracle for the team. In honour of Christmas traditions, I’ve decided to outline a gift under every Toronto Maple Leaf player’s Christmas tree this holiday season.
The Big Five
Auston Matthews: A new back
Now, this is pure speculation on my part as I don’t believe the Leafs have officially come out and confirmed that Matthews is dealing with a back injury. However, the Leafs’ #34 has battled a mysterious injury throughout this season that has significantly hampered him during his maiden season as captain.
He hasn’t quite looked right all year, he’s not his dominant self on the forecheck, and while he’s never been an elite skater by any means, the bursts of explosiveness we’ve become used to have been rare this year. The Leafs may look to address their depth-scoring goals this year with a trade acquisition but it’s all moot without “Thews” getting a clean bill of health heading into the new year.
Mitch Marner: A healthy Auston Matthews and smooth contract negotiation
Mitch Marner and contract negotiations with the Leafs are like water and oil. The entire fanbase remembers the last contract negotiation between Marner’s camp and then general manager Kyle Dubas. There were tons of media negotiations, threats to go to Switzerland, and eventually a record RFA deal that gave Marner almost exactly what he wanted.
Needless to say, the team’s lack of playoff success since that contract has left Marner in hot water with some of the fanbase who still remember the superstar’s hardball stance in his last contract negotiations. Marner’s played up to his role this season in Matthews’ absence; often stepping up as Toronto’s best player. With 46 points already in just 35 games, Marner will want a much smoother contract negotiation than last time around.
For Marner to get his contract done quickly and without fanfare, however, he’ll have to continue to keep up his torrid pace to start the year. It’ll be increasingly difficult for him to accomplish that with the rotating cast of centres on his line. More than anything, #16 needs his running mate to return fully healthy.
William Nylander: His own line
I’ve been a proponent of this idea for a long time now, but I strongly believe the best possible iteration of a Maple Leafs forward group is with Marner, Matthews and Nylander on separate lines. The Leafs have tried this experiment at times over the last few years under Keefe and Berube but they’ve never stuck.
I don’t feel this is an indictment on Nylander, Toronto’s lack of depth has meant any variation of Nylander on his own line usually means some combination of Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, Nick Robertson and David Kampf.
Nylander’s gift this Christmas? How about a nice Brock Nelson or Chris Kreider? Another proven veteran forward who can take some of the pressure off Nylander and provide Toronto with three dangerous line options upfront.
John Tavares: More amulets
Following a rough year last season, most of Leafs Nation believed that John Tavares had lost a step and that his contract was going to become an anchor in the last year of his deal. The incumbent Leafs captain also made headlines with his promotion of an amulet company.
Despite gests from the fanbase, it looks like that amulet has been exactly as advertised. Tavares is on a point-per-game pace, and he continues to evade Father Time’s inevitable regression hammer. Tavares needs to invest more into this company and get them to ship him over some more amulets.
Morgan Reilly: A new defence partner
We say this every year, and there have recently been rumblings around the fanbase that perhaps Rielly himself is the issue. They assert that his skillset is too niche and simply not a good fit alongside most defencemen. The reality is, that Rielly posted great numbers with Tanev before a line shuffle early in the season yielded the elite shutdown pair of McCabe – Tanev.
Rielly’s had middling numbers with Ekman-Larsson, and playing OEL on his offside has completely neutered #91 offensively this season. With a rotating cast of Benoit, Myers, Hakanpaa and OEL on his pair, Toronto needs to find some consistency and stability for #44.
Toronto needs to find their TJ Brodie 2.0 for Mo and they need to find him soon.
The Rest of the Squad
Jake McCabe & Chris Tanev: Extra shin pads
Two absolute warriors who have absolutely been EATING pucks, it’d be a good idea to get these two grizzled vets some extra shin pads and ice packs from all those pucks. They’re in for a long season this year as Toronto’s go-to match-up pair defensively. They’ll be going through shin pads like crazy this year.
Nick Robertson: PDO Boost
Nick Robertson has been playing some of his best hockey of late alongside Max Domi and Bobby McMann. Outside of an extremely rough start to the game against the Islanders to end the pre-Christmas stretch of the year, all Nick wants is luck to continue to go his way. He’s finally shaken his snake-bitten status from the start of the year.
Max Pacioretty, Anthony Stolarz & Joseph Woll: A Truck-full of steak
Per Google, protein helps build ligament and muscle strength and these three guys could use that as much as maybe anyone in the league. Leafs fans remember Joseph Woll making a stretch save in the playoffs last year that ended his season. Pacioretty has been fighting serious injury after serious injury the last few seasons and Stolarz has had knee concerns since the onset of his NHL career.
Throw some steaks on the grill this Christmas boys and let’s try to keep those ligaments and muscles intact for the stretch run.
Pontus Holmberg, David Kampf & Connor Dewar: One of the other two getting traded
It seems like a bit of a weird gift, but all three of these forwards are realistically competing for one roster spot on this team when fully healthy. Each of these players will be hoping one of the other two gets moved before the trade deadline, solidifying their NHL roster spot.
Max Domi: A chance to ride shotgun with Auston Matthews
McMann – Domi – Robertson has been a great line of late, but Domi looked like he was having a ton of fun last year alongside Matthews when Marner was out with an injury. With Marner’s dominant play this season and Matthew’s injury-related struggles, Berube may opt to keep #16-#34 together in hopes of getting Matthews back in rhythm but Domi will be eying Marner’s spot alongside #34 like a hawk.
Matthew Knies & Bobby McMann: A nice day at the Spa
Knies and McMann are very different players. Despite both being described as big power forward types, McMann is a straight-line blazer with a nasty shot, while Knies is a physical forechecking presence that can score from in tight. Both players have struggled with inconsistent stretches offensively this season and some of that might just have to do with the two of them really only being in their second year of NHL hockey. A nice relaxing spa day to recalibrate and stop overthinking would do them both some good.
Simon Benoit: Some sleep
This is a bit different and it’s not hockey related. I’m not a father so I’m only speaking on what I’ve heard, you don’t sleep much as a new parent. Simon Benoit became a father earlier this year at the start of the season. A nice glass of milk and cookies before a long nap is just what the doctor has ordered for the Milk Man.
Connor Timmins & Steven Lorentz: Black Friday was their Christmas
Connor Timmins and Steven Lorentz have very little to complain about this year. Timmins is playing by far his most regular role in a Leafs uniform this season under Berube. He’s played well enough for the most part to justify his name being on the Leafs lineup sheet.
Steven Lorentz has been a staple in Berube’s line up and between him, Holmberg and Dewar he was the most recent player to be promoted to the third line. The lifelong Leafs fan is living his childhood dream and rumours have begun floating around about a contract extension
They’re both living their best life right now.
Happy holidays
The Leafs enjoy a well-deserved break before they play Detroit on Friday. Hopefully, these gifts under the tree will provide these players with the right circumstances to succeed in the second half of the season.
