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Forward
A+ - Auston Matthews
Matthews leads the Leafs with 29 goals, is in the race for a second straight Rocket Richard Trophy and after a slow start due probably to offseason wrist surgery has been consistently excellent.
A – Mitch Marner, Michael Bunting, Ilya Mikheyev
Marner has missed nine games due to COVID and a shoulder injury, but is on pace to set a career-high in goals and has been great on special teams. Bunting started as a fourth-liner and has found a home on the left side with Matthews. The 26-year-old is fourth in NHL rookie scoring with 29 points and provides an annoyance factor the club has been missing. Mikheyev missed two months with a broken thumb but has found his scoring touch upon his return with seven goals in 13 games.
A- - John Tavares, William Nylander, Alex Kerfoot, David Kampf
Tavares blends into the woodwork at times but when you look at his stats, he is averaging nearly a point-per-game, is second to Matthews with 17 goals and has been a key part of the Leafs power play. The same could be said for Nylander, who for most of the first half was Toronto’s most consistent forward, but has seen a significant offensive and defensive drop off over the last 10 games. Kerfoot is second to Morgan Rielly with 25 assists, has been an excellent penalty killer, a good complement on the left side with Tavares and leads the Leafs in plus/minus(+18). Kampf has more than adequately filled the role as a 3rd line defensive center/penalty killer/faceoff specialist.
B+ - Ondrej Kase, Pierre Engvall
Kase has brought consistent secondary offense and has stepped up into the top six when needed, but has also been out of the lineup frequently due to minor injuries. Engvall is big, fast, and is a tough matchup as a depth forward. The big winger's offense has improved (seven points in the last seven games) late in the first half.
B – Jason Spezza
Spezza has 15 points in 38 games as a fourth-liner, and provides a consistent offensive contribution on the bottom six and second power play. The 38-year-old also provides veteran leadership that helps take the burden off of the core group.
B- - Wayne Simmonds
Simmonds provides a physical presence on the fourth line, with four goals in 41 games averaging less than 10 minutes per night.
C – Kyle Clifford
Acquired from St. Louis for future considerations, the 31-year-old is essentially a 13th forward that can be inserted against more physical teams, but his declining speed does not make him a player who can play every day.
D – Nick Ritchie
A complete bust and big disappointment after signing a two-year, $5 million contract. The 26-year-old winger has just two goals in 33 games and was placed on waivers last month.
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The Leafs begin the second half of the season against the Carolina Hurricanes at Scotiabank Arena. The contest will match up two goalies in Petr Mrazek and Frederik Andersen playing against their former clubs and will begin a busy stretch for Toronto of 11 games in the next 17 days.
Head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that defenseman Jake Muzzin is making progress on his concussion issues, but that the veteran will miss his seventh straight game.
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Lot’s of â¤ï¸ for the 💙ðŸ¤
— Norman James (@IamNormanJames) April 26, 2021
Convo on Podcast.#theleafsconvo https://t.co/Xdn3CDLVCI
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