Leafs Win All-Star Weekend, Too Much Grit, and Knies Talk
Getting back to the season, can the Leafs take another step?
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Toronto hosted the All-Star weekend and Auston Matthews won MVP, with his Maple Leafs-heavy roster picking up the win. Can they bring that winning to the second half of the season? Did the team overemphasize grit and can Matthew Knies play a big role?
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Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Nylander, Matthews, Minten & More
February 3, 2024 by The Old Prof
In this edition of Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I’ll share news from the All-Star Weekend. I’ll also look at prospect Fraser Minten, who has been a surprise for the organization. Finally, I’ll share a more analytical perspective of just how strong a player Auston Matthews is for his team and across the NHL.
Maple Leafs’ Focus on ‘Grit’ Proving Costly to Addressing Depth
February 2, 2024 by JP Gambatese
Every season, the story seems to be the same — the Toronto Maple Leafs consistently perform well during the regular season, comfortably keeping themselves in a playoff spot year-round, only to fall short in the playoffs. This season, though, their regular-season success is faltering. They sit in the first wild-card spot, though they were expected to frontline the Atlantic Division again. Their problem? Depth scoring.
General manager Brad Treliving was brought in to pilot the team in May 2023, and his biggest priority was adding what he called “snot” or grit. The narrative was that the Maple Leafs were too “soft” to compete for the Cup and that their lack of grittiness was holding them back from postseason success. After all, hits increase in the playoffs.
Whether or not that’s the case — that grit means postseason success — is beside the point. There’s nothing inherently wrong with gritty players, but those players need to perform on top of their physical play. Skilled grit is a coveted asset in the league, with players like Timo Meier, J.T. Miller, Tom Wilson, and the Tkachuk brothers revered for holding their own physically while providing offensive as well.
Maples Leafs Need to Be Patient with Matthew Knies’ Development
February 2, 2024 by Nick Haydon
Let’s play a game. Guess who Toronto Maples Leafs captain John Tavares is talking about. “You see his ability to make a play, soft hands, poised with the puck. Obviously we think very highly of him here.”
Is it potential 70-goal scorer Auston Matthews? Maybe recently signed William Nylander? Or perhaps three-time All-Star Mitch Marner? Here is an additional hint from Tavares’ quote: “He’s got tremendous potential.”
More Maple Leafs Must Reads
Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Cowan, Matthews, Gretzky & Marner
February 3, 2024 by The Old Prof