Welcome to Top-Shelf Takes, a weekly series from staff writer Mary Clarke all about the NHL. Lace up your skates as we dive deep into the epic highs and lows of this little sport called hockey.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are no stranger to disappointment. That being said, that disappointment usually doesn’t kick in until springtime around the first round of the playoffs, not after the first month of the season.
As November begins, the Maple Leafs are 4-4-2 and sit seventh in the Atlantic after blowing a 3-1 lead to the worst team in the NHL, the Anaheim Ducks, over the weekend. Overall, Toronto looks like a disjointed mess, with its biggest stars — Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, in particular — not scoring and a rash of injuries decimating the team’s blue line.
Hilariously, the only thing going right for the Maple Leafs at the moment is the goaltending of Ilya Samsonov, who’s stepped up big time for the injured Matt Murray and has posted a .920 save percentage in six games of work.
And yet, above all else, these Maple Leafs are playing scared hockey for the entire NHL to see.
Sheldon Keefe says the #leafs are fortunate to have 10 points with how they've played so far this season.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) November 1, 2022
If the Maple Leafs were any other team in the NHL, a 4-4-2 start to the season would be disappointing, not an apocalyptic event. But because it’s the Toronto Maple Leafs, whose history of playoff misfortunes stretch back decades and whose fanbase is considered the largest and most vocal in all the NHL, it’s a Big Deal™️.
On paper, this Maple Leafs team should be better than they are. Toronto is the only team in the NHL to have three players (Matthews, Marner, and John Tavares) making over $10 million a season on their payroll. Matthews, lest we all forget, won the Hart Trophy last season after a 60-goal, 106-point year while the Maple Leafs finished with the NHL’s second-best offense.
With top-tier talent comes sky-high expectations, and yet the Maple Leafs still flirt with first round exits at every opportunity. General manager Kyle Dubas has stayed the course with the team’s main core over the last few seasons, but by now it’s clear there’s something fundamentally wrong with this hockey team.
We all know what they say about the definition of insanity, after all.
The 2022-23 season is a make-or-break year for the Maple Leafs. Depending on how November goes, it might be a make-or-break month for Toronto when all is said and done. There’s a wealth of talent on this Maple Leafs team, but none of it matters when they’ve been unable to get past the mental blocks that have been holding them back for years.
Given the flat cap and the rarity of big in-season moves, it’s unrealistic to expect major changes from the Maple Leafs after the first few weeks of the season. That being said, things can’t continue on as they have been in Toronto. Whether they realize that now or in the spring after another first round loss, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Three stars
3. Mullett Arena shines despite obvious flaws
It may be easy to clown on the Arizona Coyotes arena situation, but the team is certainly making the best of it. Mullett Arena actually looks and sounds like a real fun place to take in a hockey game and so far, Coyotes fans are packing the place in nicely.
The hottest power play in the NHL 🔥 pic.twitter.com/13xIuHeF0x
— PHNX Coyotes (@PHNX_Coyotes) November 2, 2022
Yes, it’s still embarrassing that a NHL team is playing in a college hockey arena and the locker room situation is unfortunate, to say the least, but so far Mullett Arena is proving to be a worthy home for the Coyotes and their fans.
2. Nothing can stop the Boston Bruins, not even a multi-goal deficit
The Bruins are the NHL’s best team right now and it’s not even close. As of Wednesday, the Bruins are tied for first with the Golden Knights atop the NHL with 18 points and have the league’s best goal differential in plus-19. David Pastrnak is playing out of his mind. Patrice Bergeron is a timeless wonder. Everything’s coming up Boston right now.
Oh, and multi-goal deficits seemingly mean nothing to them after the Bruins made a furious three-goal comeback against the Pittsburgh Penguins to win 6-5 in overtime.
Now, that's what you call A COMEBACK. pic.twitter.com/95JqBehzvY
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) November 2, 2022
1. Tage Thompson gives the Red Wings a Halloween fright night
After starting the season with three points in seven games, Tage Thompson exploded for nine points in his last two games, with six of those coming against the Red Wings on Halloween. Thompson netted a hat trick and added three assists to his total, scaring the Red Wings into submission in an 8-3 beatdown by the Sabres.
Tage Thompson is eerily good… so good he has an @Enterprise Halloween hat trick. 🎃 pic.twitter.com/z8csh9SZUn
— NHL (@NHL) November 1, 2022
Not only that, it was a record breaking night for Thompson, who tied Wayne Gretzky and Bobby Clarke for the most points in a Halloween game.
Overachiever of the week
Erik Karlsson
It’s very possible Karlsson has turned back the hands of time here. After three straight seasons of 40 points or fewer on the Sharks blue line, Karlsson is playing at a 102-point pace after 12 games so far this season. Right now, Karlsson leads the Sharks in goals (9) and points (15) and it’s not even close, as the 32-year-old defenseman is a big reason San Jose has any wins at all this season.
For Karlsson’s sake after so many years of misery, I hope the veteran defenseman continues to put up a glut of points on the scoresheet every night. However, Karlsson is shooting 28.1 percent right now, a highly unsustainable number for a defenseman who has topped out at 8.5 only a season ago.
What to watch
Hurricanes vs. Lightning – Thursday, November 3
This game between the Hurricanes and Lightning could be a sneak peek of a potential playoff matchup to come between two of the East’s best teams. Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos versus the bullish Hurricanes defense is always a treat to watch.
Devils vs. Oilers – Thursday, November 3
The Devils have been a big surprise so far this season, with Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes continuing to help carry the torch for young stars in the NHL. Expect fireworks between these two top-10 offensive teams, especially with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl at the other end of the ice.
Bruins vs. Maple Leafs – Saturday, November 5
Who doesn’t love a good rivalry game? With the Bruins as good as they are and all the drama surrounding the Maple Leafs, this historic division rivalry is sure to be a treat.
Quick hits
- Petty Marc-Andre Fleury will always hold a special place in my heart. Fleury’s reaction to blanking former teammates Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in a shootout is absolutely everything.
Marc-Andre Fleury laughing after saves on Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The wave to Toews has me howling pic.twitter.com/7an5ayqndo
— Spoked Z (@SpokedZ) October 31, 2022
- The most outrageous stat so far of the 2022-23 season? The Columbus Blue Jackets power play sits at zero percent — yes, zero — after going 0-for-25 in 53 minutes of man advantage time. That’s real rough stuff right there.
- And finally, you have to feel for Jakob Silfverberg here, who scored a beautiful goal… against his own team.
Silfverberg with a absolute laser into his own net pic.twitter.com/I1wl6xX4eA
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) November 2, 2022
But hey, at least it helped the Ducks secure a point as they tank for Connor Bedard?
