Could Tavares Get 1000 vs. His Old Team? Woll's Injury and More
And, what on the Naught and Nice List for Toronto this season?
Welcome to the THW Toronto Maple Leafs Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Maple Leafs writers.
Today, John Tavares plays his old team and could get his 1000th point in the process. How crazy of a story would that be? Meanwhile, can Ilya Samsonov step up with Joseph Woll down with an injury? Finally, what’s on this season’s Naughty and Nice list for the team?
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Now on to the good stuff…
Maple Leafs vs. Islanders: 2 Questions That Can Be Answered
December 11, 2023 by The Old Prof
As the Toronto Maple Leafs enter Monday night’s game against the New York Islanders, the team is celebrating one of the most significant wins of the season. They finally won by more than a goal, beating the Nashville Predators 4-0 on Saturday night (Dec. 9). The win was out of character for this team. The question now is whether they can continue to play with the same shutdown defense they showed against the Predators.
In this post, I’ll look at tonight’s game and two questions that could be answered as the Maple Leafs tangle with the Islanders. The first question is about Tavares, specifically, and his treatment by the fans. The second question deals with the team’s solid performance against the Predators.
Maple Leafs’ Naughty and Nice List for 2023-24 Season
December 11, 2023 by Peter Baracchini
It’s the holiday season and with Christmas quickly approaching, Santa Claus is coming to town! Santa has been hard at work throughout the year, making a list and is in the process of checking it twice. Everyone is hoping that they made the nice list, because you know what happens when you’re on the naughty list.
The same can be said for the players on the Toronto Maple Leafs. There’s plenty to be happy about this season. Auston Matthews is giving the gift of scoring goals as he’s already at 18, Mitch Marner is being unselfish with his playmaking and John Tavares continues to be humble and generous on and off the ice.
While they’re probably on Santa’s nice list, here are the top three players that stand out on both the naughty and nice list for the Maple Leafs this season.
Maple Leafs’ Woll Injury Gives Samsonov Chance to Prove Himself
December 10, 2023 by Spencer Lazary
After last season, I truly never thought that Ilya Samsonov would be anything but the Toronto Maple Leafs’ starting goalie this season. However, things change fast. Samsonov just hasn’t been the same goalie that he was last season, and his counterpart, Joseph Woll, has simply been better. The two have been a tandem so far this season, but Woll essentially took over the role as the starting goalie for the Maple Leafs and left Samsonov as the backup with a $3.55 million cap hit.