Maple Leafs midseason report cards: William Nylander and Morgan Rielly earn top marks

The Toronto Maple Leafs, as a team, probably deserve somewhere between a grade of B and B- for their season to date.

This isn’t quite the elite team of years past but still one with the 10th-best odds of winning the Stanley Cup, per our man Dom Luszczyszyn’s model for The Athletic.

What about grades for the individuals? Let’s start with the front office and coaching staff, followed by the players. As always, grades for players are based on salary and crucially, expectation.

Brad Treliving’s front office: C

His biggest, costliest offseason signings have either not worked at all (John Klingberg, Ryan Reaves) or been just OK (Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi). Oddly, it’s the stuff on the margins that’s turned out best so far, namely, Martin Jones, Noah Gregor, and Simon Benoit. Treliving and his front office deserve credit for extending Auston Matthews and William Nylander, even if neither deal got everything the Leafs might have liked (term with Matthews, a lower price tag with Nylander). The playoffs will be the real determining factor on whether the decision to run it back, including with head coach Sheldon Keefe, was the right one. A huge part of Treliving’s job comes before all that: His success, or not, at the trade deadline might well decide whether this team can find greatness.

Sheldon Keefe’s coaching staff: B

The question for me: Have Keefe and his staff gotten the most out of the roster they’ve been given? For the most part, the answer (so far) is yes. Keefe has managed to take several ill-fitting parts (i.e. a blah defence, Domi at centre), and mash them into something that’s worked relatively well. That the Leafs could get by with Benoit, William Lagesson, and Conor Timmins all playing some nights on the back end is a testament to that (and to the work of assistants, Dean Chynoweth and Mike van Ryn). Benoit was playing on the second pair (albeit with reduced minutes) until the other night. Meanwhile, the organization’s No. 3 goaltender is tied for the team lead in wins. Special teams are clearly an issue. Personnel feels like the problem on the penalty kill (a failure of the front office). The power play though, while still very good, is not the wrecking ball it once was in previous seasons with Guy Boucher running things, even with much better personnel on PP2. As with all the key figures of this team, the playoffs will determine the success of Keefe’s season.

DefenceSimon Benoit: B

Benoit doesn’t play a lot — about 15 minutes a night — but when he’s out there the Leafs don’t give up much of anything. His physicality pops on a team that lacks much of it. Once in competition with the likes of Timmins and Lagesson, Benoit has surged (for now) into regular duty. And while he does struggle to move the puck efficiently to the forwards, or contribute anything offensively (he has one point on one of the highest-scoring teams in the league), for $775,000, he’s been a pleasant surprise.

TJ Brodie: B-

The best TJ Brodie is the TJ Brodie you don’t notice. More and more this season, Brodie has been noticeable, not quite the defensive stud he was in the past. (It’s unclear what he was thinking, for instance, on the Colorado Avalanche’s first goal this past weekend when the puck slid by him, almost in slow motion.) He belongs on a second pairing at this point in his career. The Leafs lack better options.

Mark Giordano: B

Giordano is averaging 17.5 minutes, the fewest since he was a kid in Calgary, and even less than that since he returned from injury late last month. He was scratched over the weekend. Ideally, he’s not playing on a No. 1 penalty kill at this stage in his career. For the oldest player in the league, he’s been fine. He might be the most competitive player the Leafs have, with some of the loudest blocked shots you’ll see.

William Lagesson: C

Passed on the depth chart by Benoit, Lagesson hasn’t played since Dec. 27.

Timothy Liljegren: B

It’s been a little bumpy at times since he returned from a high ankle sprain. It was Liljegren’s giveaway that spurred Detroit’s goal-ahead goal and eventual game winner on Sunday night. His puck-moving and mobility are valuable on this defence. I’d like to see how he handles more responsibility — more minutes, tougher competition. Liljegren is averaging just under 16 minutes per game at five-on-five, only up slightly from last year (15:19), with similar responsibility on the penalty kill.

Jake McCabe: B

The Leafs are even — 26-26 — in the five-on-five goals department when McCabe has been on the ice — about in line with the expected goal totals (28-26). That includes a pretty rocky start. McCabe has played well since he returned from a groin injury in early November, mostly on the right side. He still struggles, at times, moving the puck (see Detroit’s first goal on Sunday), but has brought legit toughness and even a surprising bit of offence (15 points) for a $2 million player.

Morgan Rielly: A-

Rielly has played just over 1,000 minutes this season, 130 minutes more than the next closest Leaf (Brodie). And even though a large chunk of those minutes have seen him tackling top lines, Rielly has taken exactly one penalty and was called for it in game No. 41. The minutes he plays are essential to the Leafs. So is the offence; Rielly’s 34 points are more than the next three Leaf defenders (McCabe, Brodie, and Liljegren) combined. It’s not just the numbers. Rielly can break the Leafs out and start attacking on offence better than anyone else (by a lot).

Conor Timmins: C

Timmins had his chance, getting a long look to play every night for about a month after he returned from injury. He struggled, at times, defensively, and with the puck, and played for the first time in nearly a month the other night.

ForwardsTyler Bertuzzi: C

Things might be different in the playoffs, but so far, it’s been an underwhelming season for Bertuzzi. The sixth highest-paid player on the Leafs has scored one goal in his last 22 games and only six all season. He’s made some plays for others and been a sometimes helpful cog in the top six with his tenacity down low in the O-zone. But the production (he’s on pace for 38 points) doesn’t match the pay cheque or expectation.

Max Domi: B-

Domi plays hard, takes no nonsense, and has been an excellent playmaker. He leads the team with 17 five-on-five assists. Domi has played better of late, more responsible with the puck. The minutes fluctuate for a reason though. Some nights, despite extreme sheltering (a 65 percent offensive zone faceoff percentage at centre), the line he leads becomes unplayable, forever stuck in its own zone. Domi has scored only four goals and taken a team-leading 13 minor penalties.

Noah Gregor: B

Gregor isn’t as good as Sam Lafferty, the guy he replaced. But he’s on pace for double-digit goals, brings punchy speed every night, and has been the most reliable part of the fourth line this season. His PK minutes are shrinking, but for $775,000, he’s been about as useful as the Leafs could have hoped.

Pontus Holmberg: B

Holmberg just needed a chance. He was in the minors not long ago. But with another opportunity, a different one than he’s had in the past (playing on the wing of lines designed to deliver offence), Holmberg is showing he can maybe (?) do more for the Leafs. His smarts and competitiveness stand out. Should the Leafs give him a chance to centre a line in their top nine?

Calle Järnkrok: B

He’s still among the team’s more trustworthy forwards and is halfway to a second straight 20-goal season.

David Kämpf: D

Kämpf is playing better of late for an increasingly useful fourth line. But he’s on pace for 16 points, playing only 13 minutes a night (down from over 15 last season), and recently lost his spot on PK1. Not good enough for $2.4 million cap dollars (for this season and three more after).

Matthew Knies: B

Knies wasn’t producing enough for someone playing on the top line and recently lost his spot there to Holmberg. I wonder if the rigours of his first full NHL season are catching up to him: Two more games and Knies will surpass the 40 games he played for the University of Minnesota all of last season.

Mitch Marner: B-

This grade feels a tad generous given that Marner hasn’t played close to his usual high standard (as well as the standard of his $10.9 million cap hit) all season. There haven’t been many nights like Sunday when he was noticeably dominant and engaged playing alongside Domi. His underlying numbers match the eye test. And yet, he’s still on pace for 36 goals and 92 points.

Auston Matthews: A-

Matthews has scored almost a quarter of the Leafs’ goals this season. He’s on pace for 67, which would break his own franchise record. Since the beginning of December, when he turned things around and became an MVP-calibre player again, the Leafs have pumped teams when he’s out there, winning 66 percent of the five-on-five goals.

Bobby McMann: B-

I worried that McMann wasn’t making the most of what could be his last opportunity (he’s 27!) when Ryan Reaves began losing his spot in the lineup. That’s changed in recent weeks. McMann has made himself more noticeable night after night, using his size and speed especially, to impact the game.

William Nylander: A

My MVP rankings for the Leafs at the halfway point:

1. Nylander2. Matthews3. Rielly4. Martin Jones5. Joseph Woll

Nylander gets the slight edge on Matthews for the consistency of his performance from the start of the season. He’s been the most reliable offensive creator on the team, outpacing Matthews and Marner on the way to the best season of his career.

Ryan Reaves: D-

The path to playing time feels even murkier now than before, what with the fourth line finding an identity with McMann in there alongside Gregor and Kämpf. The Rangers had similar issues with Reaves last season (they were filled in when he was out there) and eventually dealt him to Minnesota. Is there a market for him again with two more years left on his contract and his 37th birthday ahead later this week? Will he end up on waivers?

Nick Robertson: C+

With next to no power-play time, Robertson is on an 82-game pace of 19 goals and 38 points. Not bad for someone who’s essentially a rookie. More revealing to me, and an indicator of where he stands with Keefe, is the ice time: Robertson is averaging under 11 minutes per game. Some nights he’s playing much less than that. The trust isn’t there — yet. He also struggles to get his shot off, with only 37 in 26 games.

John Tavares: C

Tavares is mired in a major slump — five goals and 15 points in his last 25 games — and was benched for the first time (ever?) over the weekend. The pace of play is increasing and at times, it feels like the 33-year-old is struggling to keep up. Important to keep in mind: Tavares still holds the seventh (tied with Drew Doughty) highest cap hit in the league.

GoaliesIlya Samsonov: D-

Is there a redemption arc coming? When Samsonov went on waivers last month, I got ahead of myself in wondering if his Leafs career was over. But he doesn’t have long to re-establish his footing with the organization, not with Jones establishing himself and Woll on the mend. How does he respond when he has another rough night? How do the Leafs?

Martin Jones: A

Jones maybe didn’t save the Leafs season, but kept it alive and kicking while Woll was injured and Samsonov floundered. Full marks for the 34-year-old.

Joseph Woll: B+

Woll was running away with the No. 1 job when he sprained his ankle in Ottawa in early December. He’ll have competition for the crease in Jones when he returns next month. He’s also making $767,000 this season, a fellow bargain to Jones for the Leafs.

—Stats and research courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, Evolving Hockey, and Hockey Reference.

(Top photo of William Nylander and Morgan Rielly: Michael Chisholm / NHLI via Getty Images)