The Leafs Nation

Welcome to Around the NHL, a new weekly column where I take a deep dive into non-Leafs topics, to give you a better look at other teams around the league. Whether it’s players, teams, or the whole league, the world is our oyster with this series, so let’s dive in. After a second straight year of conference finals appearances from the Islanders and GM of the Year nominations for … [Read more...] about Around the NHL: Lou’s probably done more to hurt the Isles than help them

Coming into the season, Jack Campbell’s role with the Toronto Maple Leafs was clear- be the best and most reliable backup Frederik Andersen has had since Curtis McElhinney. The amazing story that played out couldn’t have been more different than what had been drawn up, in the best way possible, because Jack Campbell finally hit his potential. Originally drafted by the Dallas … [Read more...] about In Jack Campbell, the Leafs finally have consistent goaltending

3 picks. That’s it. No first. Only 1 pick in the first four rounds. 3 picks. That’s pretty underwhelming for a team that has been at its best when developing its own players, and especially disappointing when you consider that the draft is one of the areas that Kyle Dubas has excelled during his time as Leafs GM. It’s largely that last point that has me convinced that the Leafs … [Read more...] about The Leafs will find a way to make the entry draft interesting

One of the fascinating parts to this season for the Toronto Marlies was their goaltending. The team had eight goaltenders dress for them this season, which is likely a record for Toronto. In the midst of it all, we saw Joseph Woll take a massive step this season. We even got to see Frederik Andersen play a few games. That was weird. Since there were so many goalies that played, … [Read more...] about Toronto Marlies report cards: Goalies

It’s the ides of June, and we’re still a couple of weeks away from the Stanley Cup Final. This wouldn’t seem so bad except there’s the small matter of knowing that Montreal is still playing, and that between the Islanders and Canadiens still being around there is an active effort to make the series formerly known as the Conference Finals as boring as possible. Part of that … [Read more...] about Leaflets: Stray thoughts on the Leafs forward depth

Welcome to the TLN Year in Review series on the Leafs players. One by one we’ll go through the entire roster and assess what went right and what went wrong for each player last season and what we think the future holds for them. Today’s article features our captain, pajama boy, John Tavares. Year three for John Tavares as a Toronto Maple Leaf was an interesting one. Coming off … [Read more...] about John Tavares is an important Toronto Maple Leaf

Well friends, the Stanley Cup semifinals have started and just as everyone predicted, the remaining four teams are the Golden Knights, the Lightning, the Islanders, and the Canadiens. Exactly as planned, amirite? ANYWAYS, that’s fun, I guess. Let’s see what else is going on. Leafs Land Mirtle: This appears to be the end for Zach Hyman as a Maple Leaf https://t.co/UvQg36QSDg — … [Read more...] about Page 6ix Wednesday, June 16th: And then there were four

The worst kept secret in hockey is finally revealed, as the Leafs extend Jason Spezza to another one year contract. Spezza’s staying home!  Jason Spezza has signed a one-year contract extension. #LeafsForever — Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 16, 2021 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js According to Chris Johnston, the deal is once again a league minimum contract, … [Read more...] about Leafs re-sign Spezza to a one year extension

The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans have suffered more than their fair share of enigmatic stars: from Tomas Kaberle to Jake Gardiner to Morgan Rielly; from Jason Blake to Phil Kessel to Mitch Marner; it can be a rollercoaster here in Toronto. Typically, the branding of “enigma” is given to those previously listed high-skill players that don’t seem to bring their best every … [Read more...] about Justin Holl is an underwhelming enigma