Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Keys to Success in 2017-18

The Maple Leafs returned to the playoffs last season giving a tough series to the heavily favored Washington Capitals.

Since the Toronto Maple Leafs instituted the “Shanaplan” they have been on an upward trajectory. This started by building a strong foundation in the draft combined with escaping from some of their more suspect contracts. The plan is starting to pay off with players like Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, and William Nylander all in the top 5 for team scoring. Holdovers like James Van Riemsdyk and Nazim Kadri rounded the top 5 out.

There were not a lot of expectations on the Maple Leafs last season. After a successful run to a playoff birth and taking the Presidents Trophy-winning Capitals to six games. There was plenty of jokes going around beforehand about the Capitals taking the series in three. This won’t be the case this year as expectations, especially in a market like Toronto higher than they have been in well over a decade.

1. Keep on keeping on

The most important thing for the Leafs is to keep doing what they did last year and build upon it. Sure, it’s a little cliche but this is a team that could easily be undone by a sophomore slump or two. The Maple Leafs did improve their firepower with the addition of Patrick Marleau but he was not brought in to be “The Guy”. Marleau is a streaky forward and if he needs to be counted on to be a significant contributor than something has gone wrong.

Something that also went under the radar last year is how lucky this team was with health. None of the Leafs most important pieces missed more than six games over the course of the season. In the modern NHL that borders on a miracle. It will be interesting to see how this team could fair if hit by injury adversity this season.

2. Improvement on defense

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There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. One sore spot for the team though is still defense. Jake Gardiner and Morgan Rielly are great. Nikita Zaitsev has been a bright spot for them but will be under pressure to make his seven-year $31.5 Million contracts look like a steal. The addition of Ron Hainsey is confusing but could be a good veteran presence for the young team. Connor Carrick and Martin Marincin are both serviceable defenceman.

The addition of Ron Hainsey is confusing but could be a good veteran presence for the young team. Connor Carrick and Martin Marincin are both serviceable defenceman. All in all the defense group isn’t terrible but it is a position that Lou Lamoriello will need to address if the team wants to move from playoff contender to Stanley Cup contender.

3. Backup Goaltending

Fredrik Andersen is a proven NHL starter at this point but didn’t get much help in relief. Andersen started 66 games and was a big part of the team’s success. However, when he was given the night off his backups didn’t do him any favors. The three goaltenders who would see game action (Jhonas Enroth, Antoine Bibeau, and current backup Curtis McElhinney) combined for a record of 7-11-1.

Next: Maple Leafs Season Preview

McElhinney posted some respectable statistics down the stretch with a 2.67 goals-against average and a save percentage of .914. He will need to be able to consistently give the Leafs consistent minutes when called upon. Last season Mike Babcock had no faith in his backup goalies and it will be on McElhinney to earn that trust.

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