A TRIO OF TRUCULENCE

Nicholas D'Agostino

As all Hockey fans know the Toronto Maple Leafs have not won a playoff round since 2004 and have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967 (i'm sorry if this may haunt you). Many Leafs fans have looked at this season as do or die. The core 4 have been together now four years; a time in which they have not gotten past the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There is a lot at stake this season and all eyes will be on the Toronto Maple Leafs once the Playoffs begin.

Now the Leafs have had a tremendous season up to this point, shattering franchise records in both wins and points. But all of that won’t matter unless they make a deep playoff run. In order for the Leafs to put their demons to bed by finally winning a round, I believe there are three players that will be vital to their success.

Jack Campbell

At the start of this season, the Leafs goaltending was a bit of a question. They lost Frederik Andersen in free agency and replaced him with Petr Mrazek. It seemed as though the Leafs would platoon their two goaltenders to at least start the year. Instead, because of an early injury to Mrazek, the net was Campbell’s. In the first half of the season Jack played amazing and became a first-time NHL All-Star. Since then he hasn’t been so great, leaving fans and analysts alike scratching their heads. After the All-Star break Jack had three straight months where his combined save percentage was below .900.

When things couldn't have gotten any worse for the Leafs, they did. Campbell went down with an injury, leaving the Leafs with struggling netminder Petr Mrazek and rookie goaltender Erik Källgren. Nonetheless, when Campbell came back in April he started to look more like his pre- All-Star self. Now, going into the playoffs with Mrazek injured there is no doubt that Campbell is the guy for the Leafs. He has to be.

In the playoffs goaltending is always a factor in stretching out a teams maturation date. Great goaltenders can steal games and more importantly, take full control in a series . If a goaltender can come up with a big save in a playoff game it can swing the momentum either way. There is no doubt that if the Leafs want to make some noise in this year's playoffs Jack Campbell will be a big part of it. This year's Leafs team is so good that if they can at least get average goaltending they have shown they have the ability to win. If Jack Campbell can give the Leafs solid goaltending in this looming postseason, I believe they have what it takes to at least win a round and maybe more.

Auston Matthews

This season Auston Matthews has been one of the best players in the NHL. He is the leading goal scorer and he will undoubtedly be one of the finalists for the Hart trophy. The question is will he keep this up for the playoffs.

One criticism of Auston Matthews is questioning his ability to put a team on his back in the playoffs and perform like he does in the regular season. In the 2021 playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens both he and Mitch Marner were highly criticized because of their play. That duo was unstoppable in the regular season and yet somehow hit a brick wall in the playoffs. Some might call that Carey Price, however the result hurts just as much. For the Leafs to do well in this year’s playoffs Matthews has to be the best player on the ice every night. He needs to be dominant on both sides of the puck and carry his regular season success into the playoffs. It is very simple, when the playoffs roll around your best players have to be your best players.

There is no secret that Auston Matthews is the MVP of the Toronto Maple Leafs. When Matthews is rolling so are the Leafs. He is able to take this great team and push them over the top as he is so valuable every time he touches the ice. In the playoffs he has to continue to score big goals for the Leafs as that is his main job for this team. He can be so impactful for this Leafs team if he continues his regular season play. In the playoffs if he is the best player for the Leafs and on the ice, I believe that the Leafs will not only win a round but have a chance to play deep into the summer.

John Tavares

Tavares is quietly putting together a really solid season. He has 26 goals and 49 assists for 75 points in 78 games. He is nearly a point per game yet he doesn’t get as much attention as the other Leafs stars. One reason why I think Tavares is crucial to the Leafs playoff success is because of his secondary scoring. If your top two lines can give you a 1-2 punch in the playoffs, most teams will have a tough time keeping the puck out of their net. Just last year in the 2021 playoffs we saw that when Matthews and Marner were having difficulty scoring the Leafs really looked lost offensively. With Tavares not eligible to play because of sustaining that scary injury in the opening period of the first round, the lack of scoring really showed. If Tavares can provide the Leafs with some excellent play in the playoffs- especially scoring wise- they will be in a very good spot upfront.

I also believe that Tavares is crucial to this Leafs team because of his ability to take some defensive responsibility from the Matthews line. Most of the time, the Matthews line should be matched up with the other teams top line but Tavares could play that role as well. For a month or so William Nylander has been taken off the Tavares line and has been paired with Pierre Engvall and David Kampf. Tavares has been paired with Alex Kerfoot and Ilya Mikheyev, both of which are solid defensively and can chip in offensively. If these lines stay the same for the playoffs the Tavares line could be trusted with some defensive assignments and may start most of their shifts in the defensive zone to free up the Matthews line for more offensive zone time.

Overall, Jack Campbell, Auston Matthews and John Tavares are all vital to the Leafs playoff success. If all three of these players in particular are playing at the top of their game then there is no doubt that the Leafs will be serious contenders in this year's playoffs.