The Toronto Maple Leafs have to consider the first quarter of the NHL season a success, with a 14-7-0 record, second place in the Atlantic Division and third overall in the entire National Hockey League. However, the club has been very streaky, scoring goals in bunches during a 6-1 start, then losing six of their next eight games before rebounding and winning six in a row.
Here is a report card on the progress of the young Leafs after the first quarter of the season:
Overall Team Grade - B+
The Leafs are behind only Tampa Bay and St. Louis in the NHL standings with 28 points, mostly because their high-powered offense (79 goals - 2nd in the NHL) has covered up for a defense still in need of upgrading if they are to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Coach Grade - A-
Mike Babcock has displayed a firm hand with his young club, demanding effort, energy and accountability from every player. Unlike last season, when he kept his forward lines and defensive pairings together, Babcock is more willing to shake things up depending on how players are performing and that has worked as a motivational tool with struggling players like Tyler Bozak and Mitch Marner.
GM Grade - B
Lou Lamoriello’s minor deal to acquire goalie Calvin Pickard from Vegas provided the Leafs with a viable third option between the pipes if either Frederik Andersen or Curtis McElhinney is injured. The signing of Roman Polak did not bring the desired effect, as the veteran has been a healthy scratch after being in the lineup for a brief stint.
Goaltending
Frederik Andersen – B+
The big Dane struggled in October for the second straight season, but is the main reason why the Leafs have thrived in November (6-1-0, 1.97 GAA and .941 Sv %) without Auston Matthews in the lineup. Andersen has not allowed a goal in 131:35 with shutout victories over New Jersey and Montreal.
Curtis McElhinney - B
The veteran backup seemingly will only play in back-to-backs as Mike Babcock intends to lean heavily on Andersen. McElhinney is 2-1 and had an impressive 38-save performance in a win over Boston earlier this month.
Defensemen
Morgan Rielly – A-
The 23-year-old is utilizing his skating ability by jumping into the offensive attack and leads the Leafs in defensive scoring (17 points) tied for the lead in power play points (7).
Ron Hainsey – B+
Hainsey has 10 points (1 goal and 9 assists) and has been a steadying influence playing alongside Rielly, as well as being essential on the Leafs penalty kill.
Ron Hainsey gets the first of the game and his first of the season. #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/fP5AtygPNw
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) November 19, 2017
Nikita Zaitsev – B
Zaitsev leads the Leafs in TOI (22:46) and has been miscast out of necessity as a penalty killer, limiting his offensive production to just seven points.
Andreas Borgman – B
The 22-year-old rookie won the battle for the bottom-pairing job with Calle Rosen and has shown a penchant for physical play and skating ability, but is being protected due to his inexperience.
Jake Gardiner – B-
After a career-high 43 points and leading Toronto in plus/minus last season, Gardiner is displaying more of the questionable decision making that made him an uncertain commodity in the past.
Connor Carrick – C+
Scratched seven games while Babcock evaluated other bottom pairing candidates, Carrick is the Leafs fallback position and likely the player to lose his job if they acquire blueline help.
Roman Polak – C-
The veteran defenseman was signed and pressed into service primarily to provide Babcock with another blueline option on the penalty kill, but his lack of foot speed made him a liability at times.
Forwards
Auston Matthews – A+
Matthews is leading the Leafs in goals (12), points (21) and plus/minus (+12) in spite of being out of the lineup almost two weeks. Not only has the Calder Trophy winner been the most consistent player, his exemplary defensive play is beginning to draw Selke Trophy talk.
Wicked pass from Mitch Marner to Auston Matthews and its 5-0 Leafs pic.twitter.com/F1aFSSIbOa
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) November 19, 2017
Patrick Marleau - A
Marleau has provided professionalism, versatility and experience on and off the ice, playing the wing effectively and moving to center with the club struggling and Matthews out of the lineup.
Nazem Kadri - A-
Kadri is on pace to eclipse his career-high 32 goals with 10 in 21 games and continues to be a key player for Babcock as the Leafs shutdown center and trigger man on their top power play unit.
James van Riemsdyk - A-
Van Riemsdyk is a force in front of the net on the Leafs power play and is tied for second in goals (10), but neglected his defensive responsibilities at even strength, which necessitated Babcock splitting up the JVR-Bozak-Marner line for a time.
Connor Brown - A-
Brown is utilized by Babcock to step in where needed and the 23-year-old continues to excel, whether it be on the first or the fourth line. The 23-year-old has eight goals this season.
Zach Hyman - B+
Criticism of Hyman’s place on Matthews' line waned slightly with his consistent effort and effectiveness, even with the star center out of the lineup.
William Nylander - B+
A good complement to Matthews, Nylander has been more of a playmaker than a sniper in the early going. His overtime winner vs. New Jersey last Thursday broke a 12-game goalless drought.
william nylander scores his first in, like, a long time and the leafs win it 1-0 in ot! pic.twitter.com/BYW8Jz3aYv
— The Leafs Nation (@TLNdc) November 17, 2017
Leo Komarov - B+
Versatility and sandpaper make Komarov one of the Leafs most important players. He played both wings with Babcock switching lines frequently and is the Leafs most experienced penalty killer.
Dominic Moore - B
Moore won the battle for fourth line center spot with Eric Fehr and chipped in with three goals and two assists in 14 games, while also being in the mix on Toronto’s penalty killing units and taking key face-offs.
Mitch Marner - B
The only of the 2016-17 rookie class that had an inkling of a sophomore slump. Marner was demoted to the fourth line, but recently picked up some of the offensive slack created by Matthews absence from the lineup.
Just before setting up the OT winner, Mitch Marner shut down David Pastrnak on a prime opportunity and led the counter-attack pic.twitter.com/fErnoGykfF
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) November 11, 2017
Matt Martin - B-
Martin is third in the NHL in hits and one of the few Leafs that provides a deterrent to the opposition from taking runs at the their skilled players.
Tyler Bozak - C+
The veteran center has struggled defensively and was demoted to the fourth line during the Leafs losing streak, but played better with Matthews out and reunited with James van Riemsdyk and Mitch Marner.
Josh Leivo - C-
Resuming his position as everyone’s favorite healthy scratch, Leivo played in just five games and registered one assist. The 24-year-old has more of a top-nine skill set, but played mostly on the fourth line.