The Toronto Maple Leafs experienced some troubles before the holiday break amid a busy portion of the schedule. However, the players and coaches will get time to rest, recharge, and address the issues that emerged ahead of the team’s return to action on Friday (Dec. 27) versus the Detroit Red Wings.
Anthony Stolarz, Toronto Maple Leafs (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
The Maple Leafs have been hit hard by injuries this season. The team overcame a lengthy injured reserve list in late November and early December, but the absences of Auston Matthews, Anthony Stolarz, and Chris Tanev entering the break were too much to handle. Unsurprisingly, the team experienced problems with a lineup missing arguably the most integral player at each position.
Getting Matthews Back to Full Health Is of the Utmost Importance
Matthews has been dealing with an upper-body injury for most of the 2024-25 campaign. He has still been productive offensively, generating 11 goals and 23 points through 24 appearances, but his goals per 60 minutes, shots per 60 minutes, and points per 60 minutes are all down from his previous seasons. Toronto has been trying to manage the injury, but it continues to linger, and it remains a concerning question mark for the organization as the second half approaches.
If this is an injury that won’t heal while he’s playing, the Maple Leafs may need to consider shutting him down for an extended period. Not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but this could free up a tremendous amount of cap space going into the trade deadline if he goes on long-term injured reserve.
Stolarz Injury Has Loomed Large
The Maple Leafs have historically stepped up during Matthews’ absence. There is sufficient star power in the forward group between Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander to push the team offensively; however, the absence of Stolarz has been challenging. He ranks third in the league with a 2.15 goals-against average (GAA) and second with a .927 save percentage (SV%). The 30-year-old netminder has been a great story while emerging as a bonafide starter. He underwent a procedure to remove a loose body from his knee on Wednesday (Dec. 18) in New York and is expected to recover in four to six weeks.
Joseph Woll has performed well this season but has struggled recently. He had a 7-3-0 record with a 2.20 GAA and a .919 SV% in his first 10 appearances but has gone 2-3-0 with a 3.51 GAA and an .888 SV% since Stolarz left the club’s 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 12. The 26-year-old surrendered nine goals on 59 shots in consecutive losses heading into the break. Hopefully, the time off will allow him to recollect and bounce back. He needs to be much better and possesses the talent to be a difference-maker. Matt Murray didn’t look great in a 24-save effort during the team’s 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 20 and probably won’t be much of a threat to Woll’s playing time. As a result, it will be up to Woll to showcase his No. 1 potential until Stolarz is ready to return.
Tanev’s Late Scratch Exposed Some Warts
Tanev didn’t play in Monday’s (Dec. 23) 5-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets because of a lower-body injury. He participated in the pregame warmups before being scratched. An update on his status didn’t come following the contest, aside from confirmation that he was hurt in Saturday’s (Dec. 21) 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders.
Without Tanev in the lineup, the team struggled defensively against the Jets. The Maple Leafs did a great job boxing out opposing players when the team was lauded for their defensive work early in the season, but that hasn’t been as noticeable in recent games. Toronto has been making it too way for opponents around the net while surrendering an abundance of scoring chances off the rush. Those issues appeared before Tanev was hurt, but now the team’s depth has become a concern.
TSN hockey insider Chris Johnston believes general manager Brad Treliving could be in the market for a defender. Jani Hakanpaa’s ongoing knee issue has been a complication, and it remains unclear when he will be available to play. He’s appeared in only two games with the Maple Leafs this season and has missed 16 straight outings. Acquiring a healthier, more certain alternative could be a way around that. However, Toronto has gone down the route of obtaining depth defenders in previous seasons, and it hasn’t produced favourable results while amounting to plenty of wasted draft capital. If the team wants to add a blueliner, it should be more impactful than the stay-at-home garden variety that the team’s management group has targeted in the past. Go after someone capable of playing in the top four rather than a bottom-pairing rearguard who might be a healthy scratch, though landing an offensive centre should still be the priority.
Improvements Still Need to Be Made
While injuries have been an issue, they often are a convenient excuse. The players in the lineup need to be better and must play with the same structure and urgency that led to success in the first two months of the season. They shouldn’t be let off the hook because of a busy schedule either, though a lighter workload helped weather the storm when the team was missing a bevy of players in November.
The Maple Leafs still need to be more efficient offensively and defensively. The goaltending, which has been excellent for most of 2024-25, has to improve, too. Getting crucial players back in those areas would help tremendously, but until they return, the players on the ice will have to pick up the slack.
