Welcome to the inaugural edition of Maple Leafs Roundtable, a new series here in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ corner of The Hockey Writers. Each Monday, a group of contributors from our writing team will gather to answer some of the most timely questions surrounding the team and offer different perspectives on the current stories and issues of the week.
The Maple Leafs are 2-1-0 to start the season after collecting wins against the Ottawa Senators and Washington Capitals following a heartbreaking loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener. Between Matt Murray sustaining an adductor injury ahead of the game against Ottawa on Saturday and the subsequent call-ups from the Maple Leafs, there’s already lots to talk about. Today’s roundtable will feature contributions from The Old Prof (Jim Parsons, Sr.), Shaun Filippelli, Shane Seney, and myself.
Q1: Who’s Your First Star From the First Three Games?
The Old Prof: William Nylander. He looks skilled, determined, and willing to go into the tough places.
Shaun Filippelli: William Nylander. Although his progression throughout recent seasons shouldn’t make his immediate impact in 2022-23 all that surprising, it’s just how influential he’s already been that is too obvious to ignore. Anyone watching the Maple Leafs at the moment is forced to notice Nylander and for good reason.
It seems that when there’s been an opening to create a highlight-reel play through their first three games, Nylander has been part of it. Although it’s still early to put too much emphasis on where players rank at the moment, it’s noteworthy that he is among the top of the group in production while leading the team in goals scored at the moment. If he maintains this pace, he’ll have an 82-point campaign and elevate the career high he set last season.
Shane Seney: John Tavares. He’s been noticeably faster to start this season. He’s generated a ton of chances and been solid on both sides of the puck.
Alex Hobson: I’m going to cheat a little bit here since he technically didn’t play in all three games, but my first star from the first few games is Ilya Samsonov. Through his two starts, he stopped 50 of 54 shots, good for a .926 save percentage (SV%) and won both games. Now, two games is a minuscule sample size, but when you consider the fact that his tandem partner in Matt Murray already finds himself on the long-term injured reserve (LTIR), it adds value to Samsonov’s performance.
First, Samsonov got the win against his former team, and although he started shaky, he turned it around and made some huge stops to keep the Maple Leafs in the game. Then, on short notice in the wake of Murray’s injury, he started against Ottawa and had what I felt was a stronger game than Thursday night’s. With Murray out for at least 24 days and 10 games, Samsonov is getting an early opportunity to settle into the starter’s role. He deserves a good chunk of the credit for their two wins, and I’m sure the team would love more of the same.
Q2: Where Would You Like to See Improvement This Week?
Prof: I thought the fourth line would have found its mojo by now. It isn’t playing well enough. Until it does, the team can’t engage in the kind of load management it needs to for the long haul.
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Filippelli: Defense. While the team itself has looked like they are as strong and motivated as ever as a collective, something about their defensive coverage just seems off thus far. Whether it be blunders by veterans who need to maintain better focus or just a disjointed effort all around across their blue line, Toronto has to hope that area of their game sharpens quickly.
That said, it’s been nice to see someone like Justin Holl enjoy some early-season success after the storylines that followed him last year. However, that a leader like Jake Muzzin seems like he’s on a path to regression has to be a more pivotal point for this organization to fixate on.
Seney: The third line needs to be better. The mix of Pierre Engvall, Alex Kerfoot and Calle Jarnkrok doesn’t appear to have enough chemistry and they don’t have an identity as a trio. I’d expect to see this line tinkered with now that they can afford a full roster.
Hobson: For me, it’s just cleaning up the sloppiness in their play. Normally, this discussion goes hand in hand with the team’s notorious inability to start games on time. But, that wasn’t really the case this week, as the Maple Leafs opened the scoring in two of the three games.
The Maple Leafs are obviously producing some positive results, seen in their winning record. But, there hasn’t really been a clean effort yet. All three games have featured some wonky turnovers, miscommunication between players, and occasional carelessness with the puck. These issues are nothing to fret over three games into the season, but it would be nice if the team could clean up the sloppy theme for good rather than just for certain games here and there.
Q3: On a Scale of 1-10, How Confident Are You in Ilya Samsonov Going Forward?
Prof: I think the young guy is doing really well. I can imagine that it was a tough time starting the home opener, but he survived. I thought he jumped up his game against the Senators – it was a tough game to win – so I would give him an eight. He’s every bit as good as the goalies I’ve seen over the past few seasons.
Filippelli: Eight. Every part of me wanted to say 10, but I forced myself to be a little more objective for the sake of this exercise. The reality is, as I had outlined and alluded to in my preseason article discussing the battle between the Maple Leafs’ new tandem, Samsonov was already entering this season motivated to perform. His one-year deal solidified that fact.
Now that the net is seemingly his with Murray sidelined for the near future, I actually see Samsonov owning the role with much more confidence. I stand by the fact that a battle for starts would help propel both in the right way, but I expect Samsonov to take the responsibility of being Toronto’s undisputed No. 1 at the moment as seriously as that sounds. He knows what’s on the line, both for this franchise and his future. Now’s his chance to really shine and he’s sure to put on a show.
Seney: Solid seven. He’s shown in stretches throughout his career he’s capable of being a No. 1 and now he gets that chance. Knowing he’s going to be playing almost every night will help his confidence. He just needs to stay within himself and he can help the Maple Leafs win games.
Hobson: As of right now, I’d say I’m rocking a seven out of 10 in terms of comfort. As I said earlier, Samsonov was arguably the most important piece behind the two wins so far, and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s capable of doing this more often. But, there are few positions in the world where you’ll feel more pressure than if you’re a goaltender playing for the Maple Leafs. So, until we see him start on a more regular basis, I think it’s important to temper expectations for him.
Having said that, and as Shaun said above, Samsonov is here and motivated to have a career year. It’s not often you see a former first-round pick goaltender refused a contract extension only three years into his career, and he only has one year to prove himself. And, given his calm presence on the ice, one can only hope he possesses that same calmness off the ice, too.
A Look At the Maple Leafs’ Week Ahead
The Maple Leafs are back in action to face the Arizona Coyotes at home tonight, then they’ll face the Dallas Stars at home on Thursday. On Saturday, they’ll embark on their first road trip of the year, heading out west and beginning with a game against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
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If you have any topics or questions you want the Maple Leafs’ Roundtable to cover, please feel free to leave a comment below and we’ll try to get to it in the next piece. In the meantime, enjoy another week of Maple Leafs hockey and the chaos that comes with it.