Auston Matthews 2nd Straight Hat Trick & Easton Cowan & Fraser Minten Show Promise
Also, 2 Destinations for Timothy Liljegren & more
Welcome to the THW Toronto Maple Leafs Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Maple Leafs writers.
Auston Matthews gets back-to-back hat tricks, Leafs prospects Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten shine in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), more of the latest news and trade rumors involving the Leafs, predicting the next contracts for the Maple Leafs RFA forwards, and more!
Don’t forget to check out all of our FREE team Substacks, and sign up for your favorites…or all of them if you want.
You can also upgrade your subscription to a paid THW account, and get access to ALL of our Premium content from ALL of our team Substacks for one low price.
Now on to the good stuff…
Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Matthews, Marner, McMann & Rifai
February 19, 2024 by The Old Prof
As the Toronto Maple Leafs prepare to face off against the St. Louis Blues on Monday afternoon, both teams are looking to secure a crucial win. The Blues are coming off a 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday, while the Maple Leafs are on a three-game winning streak. However, the loss was only the Blues’ third in their last 11 games.
Maple Leafs’ Cowan and Minten Show Promise in Juniors
February 19, 2024 by The Old Prof
As far as hockey prospects go, two Toronto Maple Leafs hopefuls have been making waves with their respective junior teams. Easton Cowan is currently playing for the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) London Knights. He’s on an impressive 23-game point streak where he has showcased his offensive abilities and earned recognition as a promising NHL talent for the future.
Parros Making Example of Maple Leafs as Head of Player Safety
February 19, 2024 by Andrew Forbes
When it came down that Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenceman Morgan Rielly was to have an in-person hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety (DoPS) following his cross check on Ottawa Senators’ Ridly Greig, Leafs Nation exploded with disgust at the lack of consistency from George Parros and the DoPS.
Predicting Maple Leafs’ Expiring RFA Forwards’ Next Contracts
February 18, 2024 by JP Gambatese
At the end of the 2023-24 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have five restricted free agents (RFAs) — three defensemen and two forwards. Having already predicted the next contracts for the defensemen, it’s time to move on to the forwards: Nick Robertson and Noah Gregor. Assuming neither is traded and both are extended, it’s important to think about what their next contracts will be, considering that there’s a huge cap crunch coming next season thanks to raises to both Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Matthews, McMann, Jones & More
February 18, 2024 by The Old Prof
The Toronto Maple Leafs have occasionally struggled to maintain their level of play when facing teams lower in the standings this season. However, this was not the case on Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks. Last night, the Maple Leafs delivered a dominant performance, carrying away a resounding 9-2 victory. From the start, Toronto asserted its dominance, scoring four goals in the first period and adding four more in the second. This early offensive surge set the tone for the game and allowed the Maple Leafs to maintain control throughout.
Matthews Nets 2nd Straight Hat Trick in Maple Leafs Win vs Ducks
February 18, 2024 by Spencer Lazary
The Toronto Maple Leafs put on a show last night against the Anaheim Ducks. They won 9-2, which is significant because they typically struggle with these types of games. These types of games can bring teams together, help build character, and help them go on a run. It seems that all this team needed was some serious adversity, and they would come together and build confidence. This puts them in the perfect position to go on a run and lock up a playoff spot, which would help take some pressure off of the stars as well as give Brad Treliving the green light to buy at the deadline.
2 Trade Destinations for Maple Leafs’ Timothy Liljegren
February 18, 2024 by Spencer Lazary
It is officially trade season in the NHL, and with the trade deadline right around the corner on March 8, it means a ton of speculation. Well, for the Toronto Maple Leafs and general manager (GM) Brad Treliving, it means trying to find a way to improve the lineup. It could use some work; the defense core has struggled, and there has been next to no secondary scoring since the turn of the calendar. Unfortunately, to better his club, Treliving will need to part with a few pieces to be salary cap compliant. A few names come to mind to help move out money: Timothy Liljegren, Calle Jarnkrok, and David Kampf. All of them have fairly minimal cap hits, but for a team like the Maple Leafs, it is money in, money out, especially at the trade deadline.
Maple Leafs, Kings, and Predators Should Pull Off 3-Team Trade
February 18, 2024 by Michael Ostrower
The 2023-24 season has been a tale of two halves for the Los Angeles Kings. After starting 16-4-3, the team has just nine wins in their past 28 games, pushing them back into the wild card race. For the Nashville Predators, they have found struggles in all aspects of their lineup and sit considerably back in that same wild card race. The Toronto Maple Leafs are well positioned to make a playoff run but still seek help defensively, especially with John Klingberg being on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and out for the season. With the three teams all in different mindsets approaching the trade deadline, they could become great trade partners to help each side.
More Maple Leafs Must Reads
Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Matthews, Jones, Tavares & Rielly - February 17, 2024 by The Old Prof
Marc-Andre Fleury Could Have Interest in Trade to Maple Leafs - February 17, 2024 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
Maple Leafs’ Ideal Defense Target Should Be Rasmus Andersson - February 17, 2024 by Peter Baracchini