2022 Toronto Maple Leafs: Better or Worse?

A heart-breaking loss in the 2021 season has led the Toronto Maple Leafs to another first round exit in the playoffs. Everyone thought they had it in the bag and was already preparing for the second round. Unfortunately, Montreal wasn’t ready to pack it in and won 3 straight games to send the Maple Leafs to another disappointing finish to their season. What was the cause this time? The horrific injury to John Tavares? Missing Jake Muzzin for the last few games? There are so many questions surrounding this team and if they will ever make it through the first round with the roster they have. With Kyle Dubas making minor changes to the Leafs, I believe they will have the same issues as the previous years.

The Loss of Zach Hyman

It’s too bad to see Zach go as he was a fan favourite in Toronto. He was one of the only players on the team that didn’t get ripped apart for poor performance. He was a player that would give 110% effort in every game he played. He would not be afraid to go in the corners, retrieves pucks and score goals in front of the net. Hyman was a versatile player as he could move anywhere in the lineup and still produce or make an impact on the defensive side. With Hyman’s departure, will this have an impact on his old line mates? Absolutely! Matthews and Tavares’ line will have to adjust the way they play when they get a new line-mate on the left side. The Maple Leafs will be coming into this season with all different lines, and it will take time to get used to so don’t expect Toronto to come out of the gate hot.

Salary Cup Struggle

One of the key factors people focus on is where they spent their money. We talk about this all the time; you can’t spend 40% of your salary on 4 players. People would have a different take if they were successful, but they have been eliminated in the first round the last 5 years! It’s time to make a change to the core. Move one of them and gain some pieces for the backend. Getting a good d-man and spending less will give you an opportunity to bring in some depth for the third and fourth line. Having the core four isn’t working so the Leafs need to make a change to be successful in the playoffs.

Can Jack Campbell hold down the fort as #1?

Last year, Freddy Andersen went down with an injury with 22 games left in the regular season. This gave Jack Campbell the opportunity he’s been waiting for since the beginning of his career, to be a starter in the National Hockey League. Starting 11-0 as a starter, Jack Campbell was one of the hottest goalies in the league. Setting a record for most consecutive wins for a Maple Leafs goalie. I believe the team let him down in the playoffs, having a 1.81 GAA and a .934 SV% put him in the top 5 goalies in the 2021 playoffs. The stats show that Campbell played well but the team couldnt produce offensively. Bringing in Petr Mrazek sounds like they will be running a 1A/1B set up between the pipes. If one excels over the other, this strategy might change. It will be interesting to see how Jack will play with a bigger workload.

Key Injuries

Auston Matthews is coming off wrist surgery that he has needed since the middle of last season. Claiming his first Rocket Richard Trophy, it didn’t really seem like the wrist was bugging him! Having this surgery will bring him back to 100% and hopefully he can play the full 82 games. He hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year so it will be very interesting to see how many he can put in the back of the net in a 82 game season.

John Tavares had that freak accident in game one of the Stanley Cup playoffs which led him stretchered off the ice. It was a scary moment for the fans and especially for his family. Reports say that he is doing well and is ready for the start of the season. Having him and Matthews healthy for the start of the season will make it difficult for opponents to match their lines up.

Jake Muzzin also got injured during the playoff series against Montreal. The injury looked innocent as he was skating towards the bench and looked like he pulled a groin. He will be another key piece that will be ready to go for the season opener. The Maple Leafs might lack on the blue line so having Muzzin back will be a huge help for the Maple Leafs blue line depth.

Overall, there are a lot of Leafs fans desperately looking for some success coming into the 2022 season. Having the last 5 playoff runs ending in the first round is becoming very frustrating. If the Maple Leafs end in another first round exit, Kyle Dubas will need to look at the core four and make some big changes.