As the Toronto Maple Leafs hit the quarter mark of the 2024-25 regular season, they are in a strong position atop the Atlantic Division standings. They are showing early signs of championship potential with a record of 12-6-2 and 26 points in 20 games. Despite challenges like injuries to key players and adjusting to roster changes, Toronto has outperformed preseason expectations.
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What are the factors driving this early success? From surprising developments on defence to unexpected contributions from depth players, the Maple Leafs have showcased resilience and adaptability. In this post, Stan and I will explore five significant surprises that have shaped their rise to first place and examine the questions these developments raise for the remainder of the season.
Surprise #1: The Maple Leafs Sit in First Place in the Atlantic Division
The Maple Leafs are in first place in the Atlantic Division, and legitimately so. After 20 games, they have 26 points, one more than the Florida Panthers, who have played the same number of games. They are four points up on the third-place Tampa Bay Lightning with two more games played.
(Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
Next week is a huge week for the Maple Leafs as they visit Florida on Wednesday to take on the Panthers. They follow that up with a game against the Lightning in Tampa on Saturday, Nov. 30. Those two big four-pointers might play a huge part in the end of the season standings.
Surprise #2: The Maple Leafs’ Defence Has Been Stellar
The Maple Leafs’ defence is arguably the best in the Matthews/Marner/Nylander era. In the offseason, Toronto replaced TJ Brodie and Mark Giordano with Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. That has allowed Simon Benoit to play a more suitable third-pairing role. They traded Timothy Liljegren and gave Conor Timmins a more predominant role. They also picked up Jani Hakanpaa.
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Tanev has been exactly as advertised: a top-pair shutdown defenceman. He leads the NHL in blocked shots with 67 and has been either an excellent partner for the offensively minded Morgan Rielly or half of a great shutdown pair with Jake McCabe.
Ekman-Larsson is a beast. Due to aging and injuries, OEL has had to adapt his game….
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