Toronto’s defence has improved but some stability for Morgan Rielly and a healthy No. 34 would be a nice addition for 2025. David Alter looks ahead to another big year for the Leafs.
the Toronto Maple Leafs look back on 2024, they will be very thankful they invested in some defensemen. Chris Tanev has been the biggest change to Toronto’s defense core. His mere presence has seen the rest of the team step up and get into the shooting lanes while protecting the interior, which has helped Toronto’s goaltending look really good. This is despite a recent knee procedure that has kept goaltender Anthony Stolarz out for the last few weeks and will continue to keep him out for a few more.
But it’s not perfect. Morgan Rielly has seen his underlying possession numbers slide, and like the rest of the club’s offensive players, his offensive numbers have taken a tumble. His shots share at 5-on-5 has fallen below 50 percent this season, something that hasn’t happened since 2016-17. As of this writing, Toronto’s defense accounts for just seven goals scored this season, which is insanely low; Rielly has just four of them.
There’s been a lot of talk recently about Rielly’s status as the club’s No. 1 defenseman. He’s paid like one, but no one is tasked with so many different defense partners as Rielly. Toronto started the season with Tanev as the main D partner, but that quickly changed to Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Rielly has also had Conor Timmins, Philippe Myers, and Jani Hakanpaa on his right side.
While in Detroit following the Christmas break, I had a chance to ask Rielly if having a consistent defensive partner matters to him.
“For those types of things, I focus on myself and what I can do to be successful,” Rielly said.
It’s no doubt a diplomatic response, but it’s clear that having someone consistent would work best. Hakanpaa returned to skating after another procedure on his knee, so he might get some games again, but his tenure has been the most bizarre since signing a one-year, $1.47 million contract with the Leafs last summer. I expect Toronto to continue to look at trade options. The one partner who looked great with Rielly over the years is Luke Schenn. This was evident during Toronto’s 2023 playoff run, which is still their only run where they won a round since 2004. Could the Nashville Predators possibly trade him now that they are underachieving this season? It might be worth kicking the tires.
I sense that will change in the new year as Toronto gets accustomed to Craig Berube’s system. So much of the focus has been on being a better team defensively that eventually, instinct is going to take over, and the team is going to start finding their scoring touch again. There is evidence of that beginning to show, as Mitch Marner had a hat trick in Detroit. John Tavares is thriving on the ice with 18 goals and 19 assists in 36 games this season. At some point, No. 34 is going to be healthy enough to return, but probably the craziest thing about his absence is how much better Mitch Marner has been offensively without him. Ten of Marner’s 13 goals this season have been without Toronto’s top star in the lineup. I’ve got to think that when the elite goal scorer returns, Marner will stay on a line with Tavares for much longer this time around as the club looks to spread out the talent. The Leafs went into the holiday break playing six games in 10 days. They are coming out of playing six games in 10 days. It’s going to get quite interesting in 2025. I suspect we’ll see more goals, so take the over in any game they play over the next couple of weeks.