As we head into Springtime hockey, there is plenty of news involving the Toronto Maple Leafs. Notes on their top players from Auston Matthews to Mitch Marner. Also, as the Leafs currently sit in the third seed in the Atlantic Division, their matchup is narrowing in, perhaps with the Florida Panthers. Let’s take a look at what is happening in and around Leaf Land.
All the Latest News Surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs
When your nickname is Papi and you play in the Mecca of hockey, everything you do is a big deal. It just so happened, Matthews seemed slowed hitting the 60-goal mark, and people were wondering what was happening. He scored his 58th against Edmonton, and then only had one goal in the next three games. He finally reached the historic milestone 60th marker against the Buffalo Sabres on March 30th. Furthermore, what made it such a milestone, is that 60 goals being scored multiple times, has only been done nine times. And none of those other players are currently active NHLers. The list is topped by Mike Bossy and Wayne Gretzky, who each achieved the feat five times. You may recall Matthews scored 60 back in 2021-22.
Additionally, another member of the Leafs has been red hot lately. As a bonus, this has come at a time when the team needed a pickup from injuries. Since a late February hat trick against the Colorado Avalanche, Tyler Bertuzzi has been on a heater. He only has 19 goals on the season. Since that game, in 17 games, he has 12 goals.
The Mitch Marner Injury Update
The biggest injury-making news for the Toronto Maple Leafs has been the one to Mitch Marner. There have been concerns over the team’s overall defensive play in his absence. As well, perhaps Matthews has slowed down being without his favourite distributor of the puck. Marner has been out with a high ankle sprain since March 7th. Not having his defensive prowess or 51 assists in the lineup would invariably hurt. In fact, combined with Bertuzzi’s hot streak and Marner’s injury, there was a span of 11 games, where Matthews only had three goals. Conversely, Bertuzzi has been hot and done a marvelous job helping fill in the potential offensive void left by Marner’s absence from the lineup. Also, Ilya Samsonov has taken reigns of the Leaf net, after being sent down to the AHL on January 1st. This has hugely benefited the team’s defensive play. Back to Marner, according to Head Coach Sheldon Keefe, he is nearing a return. Look for him to be nearly ready by this weekend coming.
Morgan Rielly Returning to Action
Another name on the infirmary has been star defenceman Morgan Rielly. Rielly missed the club’s last four games. It had been described simply as an upper-body injury that he suffered in the 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on March 24th. In the update from Keefe, look for Rielly to draw in tonight against the another potential playoff foe, the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Toronto Maple News NCAA Signing Jacob Quillan
The Maple Leafs signed Jacob Quillan out of NCAA Quinnipiac Monday, and although he'll finish this season with the AHL Marlies, could he take a run at an NHL roster spot next season? Our scout Jason Bukala takes a closer look at the newest Leafs prospect. https://t.co/TurtVJI1yy
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 2, 2024
One final recent note was on the college free agent signing side of things. The Leafs locked up Jacob Quillan on a two-year, entry-level contract on Monday. Quillan is a Nova Scotia native and has played three seasons for Quinnipiac. He totaled 93 points in his college career, which was highlighted with a 2023 NCAA National Championship. In addition, Quillan has signed on with the Toronto Marlies for the remainder of this season.
Main photo: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
