By Justin Bourne
Although the Toronto Maple Leafs needed overtime for two of their wins and the Ottawa Senators have better shot attempt and possession stats, Toronto has appeared in control throughout the series despite these metrics.
Below, I`ll explore some reasons for this control and add further thoughts on their path forward in this competitive first-round series.
1. Toronto`s Depth Allows Full Roster Utilization
While every NHL team technically dresses a full roster, not every team has one they can effectively deploy. Unlike sports prioritizing star power, hockey is known as a `weak link` sport; a team`s defensive structure is only as solid as its least capable player. This postseason, perhaps more than in recent years, the Maple Leafs have confidence in the ability of every player on their roster to contribute defensively.
In the 2023-24 playoffs, Toronto utilized 21 skaters (19 in this current series), but some players saw limited ice time. For example, Ryan Reaves averaged only 7:52 per game over five appearances, Noah Gregor averaged 8:05 over two games, and Nick Robertson averaged 9:52 over six games.
In contrast, every forward for the Leafs in this series has played over 10 minutes per game, and all but Robertson are above 11 minutes.
Looking at defensemen from last year`s playoffs, among the seven used, ice times included Ilya Lyubushkin (16:30 average), Simon Benoit (17:04), TJ Brodie (17:10), and Timothy Liljegren (17:52).
This series tells a different story, with no Maple Leafs defenseman averaging less than 18 minutes of ice time.
Crucially, last year Morgan Rielly was the ice time leader on defense at 24:50 per game, whereas this year the leader is Jake McCabe with 21:51, nearly three minutes less. This indicates a more balanced distribution of minutes across the defensive pairings in this series.
