For the latest Leafs updates or Follow @mikeinbuffalo on Twitter The Toronto Maple Leafs subpar 9-9-3 record at the quarter mark led to the firing of head coach Mike Babcock a week later. The switch to Sheldon Keefe paid dividends almost immediately, as the Leafs began playing with more confidence and responded to his different strategies. The club 22-14-5 record and in second place in the Atlantic Division, with optimism because a number of players found their game and a belief that the club is now on the right path to contending for the Stanley Cup. Here is my evaluation of the Leafs players after the first quarter of the season:
Goaltending
Frederik Andersen
Andersen started slow in October, but has been Toronto’s workhorse, making 33 of their 43 starts. The Big Dane gives the Leafs a chance to win on most nights and his 21-8-4 record (with a 2.67 GAA and .916 save percentage) has earned the 30-year-old a spot on the Atlantic Division All-Star squad. With a heavy workload in December, Andersen showed some signs of fatigue, and that will have to be something that Toronto will have to monitor down the stretch to make sure that he is not worn down when the playoffs arrive.
Grade - A-
Michael Hutchinson
Hutchinson earned one point in six starts in the first quarter and had the Leafs looking for goaltending help, but after leaning heavily on Andersen in December, Keefe managed the schedule to get his struggling backup easier starts against Detroit and New Jersey. The 29-year-old played his best game of the season in a shutout effort against the New York Islanders on Saturday and may have saved his place on the roster. Grade - C+
Defensemen
Morgan Rielly
Rielly garnered votes for the Norris Trophy last season after a career-high 72 points last season, but his performance this season has declined significantly. The 25-year-old leads the club’s blueliners with 25 points (3 goals, 22 assists) and time-on-ice (24:20 per game), but in spite of being paired with Tyson Barrie, he has not scored a goal in 31 games and that contributed to him being replaced by Barrie on the Leafs top power play. Grade - B-
Jake Muzzin
Muzzin is a stabilizing veteran presence since being acquired from Los Angeles last January and represents The 30-year-old has 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) in 38 games and is one of the few players on the Leafs with a physical presence. Muzzin suffered a broken foot on January 4th and is expected to be out of the lineup until after the All-Star break.
Grade - B+
Tyson Barrie Acquired in the deal for Nazem Kadri in July, Barrie struggled to generate offense and help the Leafs break the puck out of the defensive zone under Babcock, but the 28-year-old has improved dramatically under Keefe. After six assists in his first 22 games, Barrie was shifted to the top pairing with Rielly and the first power play and has four goals and 12 assists In 21 games. Grade - B-
Justin Holl
After being a healthy scratch for nearly all of last season, Holl earned an opportunity to play regularly at the start of the season. After the coaching change, the 27-year-old moved into the top four with Muzzin and was given the responsibility of being on the shutdown pair. Holl leads Toronto with a +17 rating and earned a three-year contract extension last month. Grade - B+
Cody Ceci Acquired in the deal that sent Nikita Zaitsev, Ceci was miscast as a top pairing partner with Rielly, which resulted in greater exposure to facing the opposition’s top line. Since the coaching change, the Ottawa native has been moved down to the bottom pairing with Travis Dermott, but still plays on the Leafs top penalty-killing unit. Grade - C+
Travis Dermott
Dermott missed the first month of the regular season recovering from surgery on his injured shoulder, but has played well on the Leafs bottom pairing. The 22-year-old has eight points (4 goals, 4 assists) in 30 games, and will likely be moved up in the lineup and given more responsibility as soon as next season. Grade - B-
Martin Marincin
Marincin continues to be the Leafs first choice as a stop gap when injury strikes, and is currently filling in for the injured Muzzin alongside Justin Holl. The lanky Slovak had no points in 11 games and in his recent stint has not shown the same frequency of giving away the puck, but that might just be a matter of time. Grade - D *******
The Leafs hope to extend their consecutive point streak to 11 against the Edmonton Oilers at Scotiabank Arena on Monday. Toronto will go with Frederik Andersen in goal after giving their starter a rare night off on Saturday and will make only one lineup change, subbing in Adam Brooks for Dmytro Timashov. The Oilers are coming off a 4-1 victory in Boston on Saturday and will start veteran Mike Smith for the third game in a row. *******
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— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) January 5, 2020