Ten over/under or before/after scenarios for the Leafs going into this season.
Ten over/under or before/after scenarios for the Leafs going into this season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs open up training camp next month, but some of the biggest questions surrounding the team remain unanswered. Will Auston Matthews sign an extension before camp opens? If so, what is the term of that deal? What about William Nylander?
We take a look at the 10 over/under or before/after scenarios heading into this season.
Auston Matthews' contract extension before or after training camp opens
The Toronto Maple Leafs will open training camp in mid-September and the big question is will the club's top player have a commitment in place before reporting. Matthews' doesn't need to sign anything as his current contract expires on July 1, 2024. There were reports all summer with some suggesting it was a matter of if and not when Matthews' signs on the dotted line. But if he goes to camp without an extension, you have to wonder how much noise that storyline will generate as the season moves along.
Auston Matthews' contract extension term: over/under 3.5 years.
It's widely believed that when Matthews signs his next contract, the average annual value will come in at the highest of any player in the NHL. The question is how much more will it be? And perhaps the biggest question is how many years will the commitment last?
With the NHL salary cap expected to see its first meaningful rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, does it make sense for Matthews to sign a long-term pact? Or does he want to see what that number is going to be and continually bet on himself?
Will William Nylander be a Leafs forward after the trade deadline on Mar. 1, 2024?
With William Nylander reportedly far apart in his contract negotiation with Toronto, does new GM Brad Treliving decide to package the pending unrestricted free agent to address another need? As Nylander and the Leafs wait, other players around the NHL who had contracts expiring in 2024 have signed long-term deals with salary cap hits far less than Nylander's reported $10 million ask.
Auston Matthews' goal total for 2023-24, Over/Under: 50.5
Matthews took the league by storm in 2021-22 when he became the first player in 10 years to score 60 goals. The star player played through nagging injuries to his hand and still managed to score 40 for the fifth time in his career. Fifty goals seems like a reasonable number and the question is can he better it? As has been the case with Matthews, it'll all come down to health.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ3RMMpv0d4[/embed]
Will Leafs add to their top-4 defense corps, before or after the start of the regular season?
One look at the current defense corps and it's clear that Toronto could use another body. Treliving said he likes bigger defense and perhaps a trade could be made between now and the start of the regular season in October to address it. Of course, the Leafs have to remain salary-cap compliant and perhaps someone on the current roster would have to go to make it work.
John Klingberg points, over/under 50.5
It's clear what the Leafs like in John Klingberg. An offensive defenseman that can move the puck. Signed to a one-year, $4.15 million contract by the Leafs this summer, Klingberg was the first to admit that there have been issues with the defensive side of his game. Now on a team loaded with offensive talent, Klingberg should thrive and he might be able to eclipse the 50-point mark for the first time since he recorded 67 points with the Dallas Stars during the 2017-18 season.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OFdH--fkFg[/embed]
Ilya Samsonov win total over/under: 35.5, GP over/under: 54.5
The Russian goaltender is back, but this time he is the undisputed starter in goal. So long he builds off his first season with Toronto where he posted a .919 save percentage and is able to stay healthy, grabbing 36 wins shouldn't be a stretch for a team that is still expected to finish high up in the NHL standings. Samsonsov played in 42 games last season. With Matt Murray no longer splitting reps with him, he should vastly increase that number should he avoid injury.
Maple Leafs' total team fights this year, over/under 28.5
You can call this the "snot, piss and vinegar" metric for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. The club finished in a four-way tie with 14 total fights during the 2022-23 season. But with the addition of enforcer Ryan Reaves, that number should go up considerably. Tack on the addition of Tyler Bertuzzi and Max Domi who also bring an edge to their game, and Toronto could find themselves leading the league in that category,
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0z0RT432EM[/embed]
Toronto Maple Leafs regular-season point total, over/under: 108.5
The Maple Leafs set a franchise record in 2021-22 by accumulating 115 points. The followed that up with 111 last season. There could be a drop, but it's not expected to be significant. It's not unfashionable to see the Leafs get fewer points this season, yet still win the division with the regular-season juggernaut Boston Bruins losing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement.
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