Toronto Maple Leafs’ Rookie Impact Is a Game Changer
By Santagata JJ
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ Rookie Power Is Bringing the Team to New Heights. The Rookie Presence Is Elevating Toronto’s Game and Is Making the Team a Serious Threat For Competitors, Especially With a Competitive Playoff Battle Coming.
Toronto Maple Leafs are evolving into a legitimate threat in the NHL now. Although Toronto sits in the bottom of the division, battling for a wild card spot. The Maple Leafs have gained respect from opposing teams this season, despite their most recent seasons being nothing but failure.
Contributions coming from their top guns like James Van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri and Tyler Bozak has helped this Leafs team establish themselves within the meat of the pack. Despite this, the Maple Leafs’ rookies are the reason this team is so successful this season compared to last season.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Then Vs. Now
Last season between Oct 15 and Dec 15, Toronto had 37 goals for and 42 goals against posting a 10-13-6 record (26 points). On top of that, Toronto only managed to score 1.7 goals for per 60 minutes through 29 games last season. Despite playing 1 less game this season compared to last season from October 15th to December 15th. Toronto at this point has 59 goals for, a 22 goal differential. But also have let up 18 more goals this season(62 goals against).
While posting a 11-11-5 with 27 points this season, Toronto’s goals per 60 this season has increased from a 1.7 to 2.7. The records difference does not do Toronto much justice, but the goal statistics do.
Rookie Power Up
The impact these rookies have made on this Toronto team this year is astonishing. Among the top forward performers on Toronto are Van Riemsdyk (21 P), Auston Matthews (22 P), Mitch Marner (20 P), Bozak(19 P), William Nylander (19 P), Kadri (18 P), Leo Komarov (10 P) and Zach Hyman (10 P).
Four of those players are rookies. And those are the rookies that are making a massive impact on Toronto’s season thus far.
Matthews was expected to bring this level of production as the first overall pick in the NHL draft. Now, Nylander, Marner and Hyman came out from left field this season.
Granted, these rookies were highly anticipated prospects of the Maple Leafs but if one could confidently say they knew Marner was going to post 20 points through 27 games, then they better go play the lottery.
Similarly for Nylander, after logging time on the fourth line for a few games, until recently being brought back up. Nylander’s season as well has been an eye opener for many. Hyman had one real successful season before this year, at the University of Michigan, but besides that Hyman has not posted an amazing track record.
Moving Forward
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Compared to last season, the top point-performers on Toronto were P.A. Parenteau, Kadri, Bozak, Van Riemsdyk and Peter Holland. Matthews, Marner and Nylander are all on pace to exceed all five of those players’ numbers last year. As well Van Riemsdyk had 27 points last season, compared to this season with 21. Just a little something to chew, JVR is accompanied by Mitch Marner.
The moral of the story is that Toronto’s rookies’ single-handedly have had the most impact on Toronto compared to any other rookies’ team in the NHL. In every aspect of the game. Goal production, wins, power play production, name it these rookies have impacted Toronto substantially this season.
Next: Eric Staal Bouncing Back in Minnesota
In every aspect of the game; Goal production, wins, power play production, name it, these rookies have impacted Toronto substantially this season. Rookie power might be enough to carry the Toronto Maple Leafs to where they want to be.