With the pair of losses to the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs ended the first quarter of the season with a 7-10-5 record, three games under .500 and near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, which should not come as a surprise after an offseason of transition and talk of a painful rebuild.
Toronto is hoping that under the tutelage of head coach Mike Babcock, that veterans such as Joffrey Lupul, Tyler Bozak and Dion Phaneuf re-establish their value to possibly be attractive commodities for trades later in the season and youngsters like Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner can grow into future building blocks.
Here is a report card of how the roster is doing so far:
Defense
Morgan Rielly: GP:22, G:3, A:10, PTS:13
The transition from Phaneuf to Rielly as the primary defenseman has begun in earnest under Babcock and some progress has been made in the 21-year-old’s overall play. Rielly until recently led the Leafs in time-on-ice and Babcock is utilizing him more against the opposition’s top line and as a penalty killer than to simply put him in offensive situations. There have been growing pains, but you can see with proper direction that Rielly has the makings of a top pairing defenseman. Grade: A-
Dion Phaneuf: GP:22, G2, A:10, PTS:12
The Leafs team captain has seen a decrease in responsibilities, playing mostly on a second pairing with Jake Gardiner. This allows the 30-year-old to be more aggressive and physical against opposition forwards(Phaneuf leads the club with 26 PIM) and the intimidation derived from that has helped cover up his defensive liabilities.
Grade: B+
Jake Gardiner: GP:19, G:2, A:3, PTS:5
Gardiner is Babcock’s pet project and while the 25-year-old has been more competent defensively and has shown improvement at not turning over the puck, but it has come at the cost of his scoring production. Part of the reason why Toronto re-signed Gardiner to a five-year, $20.25 Million deal was the promise of skating and offensive abilities. The player that we have seen so far is conforming to what Babcock wants, but is not the impact player the Leafs envisioned.
Grade: B-
Roman Polak: GP:20, G:0, A:3, PTS:3
Polak is what he is, a tough, stay-at-home defenseman who makes people in front of the net pay for positioning. One of the few right-hand shots on the blueline, the 29-year-old has been assigned most to bottom pairing duty and as a penalty killer.
It is expected that Polak will be traded before the February 29th trade deadline and Toronto GM Lou Lamoriello will likely have many suitors for his services.
Grade: B
Scott Harrington: GP:15, G:0, A:1, PTS:1
The 22-year-old rookie was part of the package sent to Toronto in the Phil Kessel deal and has rotated with Martin Marincin as a bottom pairing defenseman. Cut from the same mold as Polak (but not as physical), Harrington has not made many mistakes, which puts in the solid but unspectacular category. With more experience, his effectiveness should increase.
Grade: B-
Matt Hunwick: GP:22, G:0, A:1, PTS:1
Signed to a two-year, $2.4 Million deal in early July, Hunwick was thought to be a depth addition for the Leafs, but the veteran blueliner has evolved into a top-pairing compliment to Morgan Rielly. The University of Michigan product has a decade of NHL experience, makes good decisions and has the skating ability to keep up with the pace of the league, but don’t expect goals and assists from the 30-year-old.
Grade: B+
Martin Marincin: GP:12, G:0, A:0, PTS:0
Acquired for a 4th round pick from the Edmonton Oilers, the 23-year-old Marincin has rotated with Harrington on Toronto’s bottom pairing and has been noticeably less effective. The big Slovakian does not use his size to his advantage and appears to be more of a spot filler than a long term answer for the Leafs blueline.
Grade: C- Stephane Robidas – On Injured Reserve – No Statistics
The 38-year-old veteran was placed on IR after training camp with knee/groin issues and a report from Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports indicated that he is not close to returning to the full readiness. It is very possible that Robidas has played his last game in the NHL and Toronto may be able to place his $3 Million salary on LTIR later in the season to open up space to make more deals closer to the trade deadline.
Grade: Incomplete
Frank Corrado – GP:0, G:0, A:0, PTS:0
Corrado was waived by Vancouver in early October and claimed by Toronto, but has not played other than a 14 day-conditioning stint with the AHL Marlies.
The strange case of being a healthy scratch for almost two months may be coming to an end, as the 22-year-old Toronto native skated at practice on Wednesday with Roman Polak on the bottom pairing, which might be a hint that he will see action against Washington on Saturday.
Grade: Incomplete
Thursday – Centers and Goalies
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