At the end of every season, the NHL hands out its awards. The Hart Trophy goes to the league MVP, the Vezina to the top goaltender, the Norris to the best defenceman. There will be no Toronto Maple Leafs nominated for any major award this year—their season was terrible, and no one comes close to deserving.
But that won’t stop me from writing a Leafs-specific awards post. Today, we’re going to give away these trophies to the best Leafs from this disaster of a season.
One could argue there shouldn’t even be a “Leafs MVP” because of how terrible most everyone was, and that’s fair. But for the sake of this post, every award needs a player associated with it. Some of these were actually pretty difficult to come up with; not because there were too many candidates, but because only one or two guys were deserving. Let’s get into it
Maple Leafs MVP: William Nylander
In a season when almost everyone had a down year, William Nylander did not. He easily led the team in points with 79 in just 65 games, and scored 30 goals for the fifth straight year. This was not Willy’s best season, but he was still an elite offensive winger.
Auston Matthews was a huge disappointment, as Nylander outpaced him in total points and points per game. He was the only Leaf to score at over a point a game for the season.
As I said, you could easily argue that no one deserved this award. Nylander was great, but still became lackadaisical as the season dragged on, and wasn’t exactly the veteran leader a struggling team needed. His defensive play was weak, especially down the stretch, and his middle-finger gesture to the camera drew negative press for the team.
All that said, he was still an elite producer and was the Leafs best player all season. No one came close to putting up the numbers Willy did. And for that, he deserves team MVP.
Rookie of the Year: Easton Cowan
This one is easy. Easton Cowan, despite being scratched for stretches of the year, had about as promising a rookie season as anyone imagined he could. In 66 games, he scored 11 goals with 18 assists. His play improved as the year went on, as he gained confidence in his shiftiness and IQ.
Cowan proved, without a doubt, that he is an everyday NHLer moving forward. He played his best hockey while in the top-six, usually with Nylander, and will be a staple there for a long time.
Most importantly, Cowan gained the snarl that made him so effective in the OHL. After the team was called out for not responding to Radko Gudas’s kneeing of their captain, Cowan upped his physical game and repeatedly stood up for his teammates.
For such a young player, this is a great sign. He is already comfortable against the big boys, and his game will only develop next season. Cowan played great in the final third of the year and will be a lock for the roster come training camp. He could be a 50-point forward as soon as 2027.
Best Defenceman: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
The entire Maple Leafs defence corps regressed this year—except for OEL. Ekman-Larsson turned back the clock and put up 39 points in 78 games, playing his best hockey in years. For the 34-year-old, this was a return to form and a fantastic season.
OEL was scratched before the trade deadline due to possibly being dealt, but there were no takers. With how he played, and some of the prices paid for worse defencemen (ahem, Justin Faulk), some teams probably want a do-over.
He played with his signature snarl, agitating other teams’ stars on a consistent basis. He defended his teammates, never stopped caring, and was easily the Leafs top blueliner.
Heading into his 35-year-old season, OEL is still under contract for two years. If he plays like this again, his $3.5M AAV deal will be a steal. He was genuinely great last season, something that can’t be said for any other Leafs defenceman.
Best Goalie: Dennis Hildeby
The Leafs played five goalies this year: Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll, Dennis Hildeby, Cayden Primeau, and Artur Akhtyamov. Of these, Hildeby is the only one who played particularly well.
Stolarz had a disastrous start to the year and battled injuries. Woll missed time as well and fell short of his high standards. Primeau was awful, and Akhtyamov was thrust into a bad spot at the end of the season. He isn’t ready to be an NHLer.
According to MoneyPuck, of all goalies with at least 10 games played, Hildeby was first in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes. He finished the season with a .914 save percentage in 20 games with one shutout.
Hildeby is going to be a really good goalie for a really long time. He isn’t waiver-exempt next season, so he will need to be on the Leafs roster or moved somewhere else. But based on how he played, he deserves a shot behind either Stolarz or Woll. With their injury histories, Hildeby is the one who should be guaranteed a spot.
