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Maple Leafs defensive core: Rielly, Gardiner, Zaitsev |
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It’s no doubt to all us fans that the Maple Leafs and their management team are still on the hunt for another quality defender. But don’t think for a second that doesn’t mean this group of defenseman can’t get the job done, they can. What they need most is improved play from Morgan Rielly and Connor Carrick.
Last season Jake Gardiner really stepped up his game, I give a lot of credit to the coaching staff as they seemed to do a great job directing Gardiner in the right direction with his decision making skills. He’s always been a silky smooth skater, maybe one of the smoothest in the league; but had a tendency of making a bone headed play here and there. Of course the Leafs fans would mostly notice the errors and not the other 90% of his game that was impressive. Timing is everything, right?
Speaking of timing, it was the addition of Nikita Zaitsev that also helped with Gardiner’s game. Zaitsev is a legit top four defenseman and really improved the Leafs defensive core with his hard play and quality outlets. I think you see Zaitsev really flourish this season as it will be his second season in the NHL playing on the North American ice surface and really knows what it takes to play with the big boys. Zaitsev is back in Moscow now conditioning, trying to add some more muscle/weight and is eager to start his seven year contract with the Leafs (4.5 million per season).
Personally, I felt like Morgan Rielly could have been better last season. He’s still our best overall defenseman if you ask me, but he needs to unleash the magic that he has inside. His overall skill and hockey intelligence is extremely high and he should be able to dip into the 35-40 point mark this year with this powerhouse Leafs offense. Obviously Rielly’s job is to keep the puck out of the Leafs net by helping his number one tender in Andersen. Morgan takes on the best of the best every night when the Leafs square off against their opponent, he has the toughest job and he’s still only 23 years of age.
Where Rielly did shine was in the playoffs, he was phenomenal. All of the Leafs were, they played such a composed game and Babcock had the boys firing on all cylinders. Rielly was beastly shutting down the Capitals high powered offense and he also chipped in 5 points in 6 games giving the Leafs a chance to knock out the Presidents trophy winners. This year I expect Rielly to build off his playoff performance and really excel in the blue and white. It being his third season with Babcock at the helm behind the bench I feel like all Leafs players will know what to expect and know what to do to get the job done.
Ron Hainsey should add some quality depth to the lineup as well as some veteran experience, something the Leafs could certainly use which is likely why they added both Marleau and Hainsey. Hainsey should be good for 20 points or so, but he will be solid on the back end helping the Leafs defensively which of course is where they need the most help. He could be quite a nice little add that most fans don’t see as a “quality addition” because we were all hoping for a bigger named defender to slot into the top 4.
Another young defender who struggled a bit last season was Connor Carrick. Personally, I think this kid has a ton more to offer than he showed last season. After all, it was his first full NHL season and with a rebuilt Leafs team who had just finished in the basement. There was a lot adjustment for Carrick, but he’s a right handed defenseman which is tough to come by, so if his game can mature and improve, the Leafs will be in much better shape going forward. Carrick has some grit and certainly possesses the try hard syndrome quality that Babcock loves.
I’m really thinking Carrick’s game improves this season and we see him try to fight his way up into the top four. Obviously I’m a positive thinker, but Carrick may surprise some fans this season. After all, he’s only 23 and now has 120 NHL games under the belt and most defensemen don’t begin to flourish until they have a couple full seasons in the big show.
I’d say the Leafs are in decent shape defensively if you look at who’s going to be playing most of the ice time. Rielly, Gardiner and Zaitsev are all horses who can play big minutes and if Lamoriello can manage to add one more stallion to the stable the Leafs will be primed and ready for the start of the 2017/18 season.
Who knows, you may just see Travis Dermott make his NHL debut and turn some heads.
Thanks for reading, have a great day!
Blogger •Atlantic Division Writer • 
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