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Defense
Morgan Rielly – A
Rielly leads the club and is in the top 10 of NHL blueliners in defensive scoring, with 38 points in 42 games). With the injury to Jake Muzzin and the departure of Zach Bogosian, the Leafs longest-tenured player’s average ice time has increased to over 24 minutes per game due to being used on both special team units.
T.J. Brodie – A
Brodie has proven to be the perfect compliment to Rielly on the top pairing, allowing him to take more offensive chances by being dependable defensively. The 31-year-old blueliner has not been a complete zero contributor at the offensive end, with 11 points in 42 games and averaging 21 minutes per game.
Jake Muzzin – B
Muzzin has been the anchor of the club’s shutdown pairing and on the penalty kill since being acquired in 2019, but a rough start necessitated a split up with defense partner Justin Holl and currently, he has the lowest plus/minus (-2) of any defenseman. Injury issues continue to plague the big veteran, as Muzzin has missed the last six games leading into the All-Star break with concussion issues.
Justin Holl – B-
The 30-year-old struggled early in the season playing with Muzzin and sat for nearly two weeks until getting back into the lineup. Holl continues to be wildly inconsistent, but until the Leafs make a trade for a legitimate top-four right defenseman, they will need his size to clear the front of the net.
Travis Dermott – C
The Leafs began the season with a rotation on the bottom pairing, and of the three blueliners, Dermott has the most experience and has been the least impactful. In 31 games, the 25-year-old has just four points (1 goal, 3 assists) and could be a casualty at the trade deadline if GM Kyle Dubas needs to open up cap space to make a move.
Rasmus Sandin – B+
The decision to not add a veteran bottom pairing defenseman to replace Bogosian was primarily to give the Leafs young blueliners a regular opportunity to play. Sandin still has some growing to do physically and needs to get stronger to not get pushed off the puck, but his offensive instincts are good enough to quarterback the second power play.
Timothy Liljegren – B
The Leafs confidence in their 2017 first-round pick has grown with him playing on a semi-regular basis. The 22-year-old righty is averaging close to 16 minutes per game, showed some chemistry with Sandin on the bottom pairing, and did not seem out of place when elevated to the second pairing with Muzzin.
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Lot’s of â¤ï¸ for the 💙ðŸ¤
— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) April 26, 2021
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