It’s Friday and supposed to be a beautiful weekend outside in Southern Ontario. A little heat wave has rolled in for the Battle of Ontario that’s going to take place on Saturday night in Toronto. I for one am jacked up for this game, it’s very tight in the East as we know and Toronto and Ottawa are close in the standings.

A venture down the QEW and I will be at Real Sports to soak down a few cold ones for my pre game warm up.

One thing I can assure you, I will be chirping a few Sens fans wearing Daniel Alfredsson jerseys.

As the season continues to move forward I thought it would be good to mention a few thoughts about how the team has done so far and who have been the biggest surprises and who have been the biggest let downs (on forward and defense).

Biggest surprises: (Forward: Marner) (Defense: Zaitsev)

Mitch Marner came into the season with a santa sac full of trophy’s and awards from his stellar season with the London Knights just a season ago. He was a human highlight reel whenever he touched the puck, but his size, age and lack of experience made him a big question mark heading into the 2016/17 season. Marner impressed in pre-season but not to the extent he has mesmerized the coaching staff and Leafs fans. He’s been lights out, creating a fortune of scoring chances for the Buds as well as creating a number of turn overs being quick on the puck.

Marner I figured would be a good player, but this quick? It’s something special. Mitch Marner “the Orhcard” seems to be quite fitting as this magical season continues to move forward.

Nikita Zaitsev just may be the Maple Leafs best overall defensemen. Really? Yeah, it’s mind blowing but the way he’s played this season as a top defender has been huge for the Leafs. A free agent scoop up from the KHL turning into a top pairing defenseman is something special. Zaitsev has found himself getting more and more power play time as Babcock has full faith in his 25 year old rookie defender.

Biggest letdown: (Forward: Michalek) (Defense: Carrick)

It may seem weird that I chose Michalek, part of that would be because the Leafs forward core has been excellent overall. Matthews, Marner and Nylander have all exceeded expectations, the role that both Martin and Komarov play is important to the team and their success, and players like Kadri, JVR, Bozak who are the veterans have done their job most nights. Of course Brown and Hyman have stood out with their die hard worth ethic, so really Michalek being lazy and not working hard is the biggest disappoint to me. For the prime reason that we could have possibly packaged him up with someone like Polak for a draft pick of some sort to a team in need of some depth.

Playing fourth line minutes with some showcasing could have helped the Leafs fetch a return of some sort, mind you; I’m not losing sleep over Milan Michalek. I could have cared less for him when we got him, or now. What I really wanted were all the Leafs rookies to get a fair shot so they could prove their worth. So at the end of the day, I am more than happy with the way things turned out; I just thought Milan could have helped with some leadership and a return at the deadline.

Connor Carrick looked as if he was going to be quite the pickup when the Leafs traded away Winnik to Washington. He still may be a good player, but this season I’ve felt he was the biggest let down on the defensive end. I think I just expected more offense from Carrick after he scored 18 points in 15 playoff games for the Marlies last season. With 2 goals and 5 assists through 52 games I feel his production has been disappointing but his defensive play hasn’t been all that bad.

With 105 games under his belt, I think Babcock will continue to mould Carrick and his game will improve in time (likely his points per game total as well).


Don’t underestimate: (Forward: Brown) (Defense: Zaitsev)

Connor Brown is from Toronto, he was a sixth round draft pick who has excelled at every level he’s played. He was excellent on the Erie Otters and did a lot of offensive damage for the Marlies over two seasons (61 points in 76 games as a rookie) and (29 points in 34 games as a sophomore).

Brown got a little taste at the end of last season, and he did well, scoring 6 points in 7 games on a gutter team. This year Brown has been a two way stallion for the Maple Leafs, gelling well with Matthews and Hyman but also is very effective killing penalties for the Leafs. Brown is a player that Babcock will use as an example of how to play the game at 110% at all times. He and Hyman together are nasty with their intense fore-checking and will to win a battle in the corner.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Brown is the type of player you want on your team when it’s playoff hockey.

Zaitsev, again? You got it, this guy is a machine. On most night’s it seems like Zaitsev plays anywhere from 20 to 24 minutes. He’s on the ice for any and all assignments as Babcock relies on Nikita with heavy dependency game in, game out. When you are playing close to 30 shifts as a defensemen and it’s your rookie campaign you know you are doing something right, especially if it’s the legendary Mike Babcock that is pumping your tires.

One thing is left to do, sign Nikita Zaitsev now. Before the end of the season, and see if Lou can get him on an excellent deal as the Leafs move forward and try to address their defensive issues.

Hope you enjoyed the read. Have a great weekend!

Go Leafs Go!

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