For as long as there has been a “Core Four” in Toronto, there have been questions about the top four on defence.
The Maple Leafs’ blue line has not been up to snuff in recent years, playing a role in the team’s many playoff flameouts. So far this season, though, the Leafs’ blue line has looked impressive, led by two offseason signings — Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Their arrivals have provided the Leafs with much-needed balance on the back end. Tanev and Morgan Rielly have been on the ice for one goal against at 5-on-5 in 47:06 of playing time, helping to generate 77.6 per cent of the expected goals. Toronto has outscored opponents 3-0 at 5-on-5 during Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe’s shared minutes (43:17).
Tanev, who joined the Leafs on a six-year contract, has a well-earned reputation as one of the toughest and most positionally sound defencemen in the NHL. He has lived up to it in the early going, denying 66.7 per cent of controlled entries at 5-on-5 — tied for fifth best out of 116 defencemen who have played at least 50 minutes. His 11.4 total denials per 60 minutes rank 16th. (The Leafs’ defensive corps as a whole has shown improvement in that area, posting a collective 54.3 defensive-zone denial percentage at 5-on-5 — up from 49.4 per cent last season.)
Unsurprisingly, Tanev is also near the top of the leaderboard in blocked shots, ranking 10th per 60 among qualified defenders at 5-on-5. Perhaps the most underappreciated aspect of Tanev’s game is his possession-driving ability. He is completing 34.2 outlet passes per 60 at 5-on-5 (6th).
“Any team in the league that adds Chris Tanev, your (defensive) corps immediately becomes much stronger,” Rielly told reporters before the season.
After revitalizing his career with the Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers, Ekman-Larsson has so far resembled his old self, averaging a team-high 21:50 of ice time per game. Only Auston Matthews (19) has fired more shots on net for the Leafs than Ekman-Larsson (15), who has taken over as the quarterback of the No. 1 power-play unit.
Ekman-Larsson is averaging 14.8 offence-generating plays per 60 at 5-on-5 — seventh most among 116 qualified defencemen. That is a huge leap from last season, when he averaged 6.84 offence-generating plays per 60, albeit in a depth role for the Panthers.
“He’s a player (who’s) played a lot of minutes in this league at times,” Leafs coach Craig Berube told reporters. “Last year, he was probably around 20 (minutes) or just under a little bit. … Right now, he’s an all-situational guy for us. Depending on the game and what’s going on in the game and the flow of the game, that’ll determine the minutes for him.”
Tanev and Ekman-Larsson have allowed Berube to lessen the load on Rielly, whose average ice time has decreased by more than two minutes from last season. The Leafs have also not had to shelter either of their top two pairs. Tanev and Rielly have started 27.5 per cent of their even-strength shifts in the offensive zone. Ekman-Larsson and the defensive-minded McCabe are at 23.3 per cent.
The third pair remains a work in progress. Simon Benoit has started all four games on the left side. Conor Timmins and trade candidate Timothy Liljegren, who made his season debut Wednesday, have played alongside him. The Benoit-Liljegren pair had a rough outing against the Los Angeles Kings, who had a 20-2 edge in shot attempts at 5-on-5 when those two were on the ice. (Jani Hakanpaa will be in the mix for a spot on the third pair once he recovers from a knee injury.)
The Leafs have tightened up defensively under Berube, allowing four goals at 5-on-5 and seven total in four games. They have significantly cut down on the number of odd-man rushes against, giving up the fewest in the league per 60 minutes in all situations (2.25). Last season, Toronto finished 10th with 4.78 odd-man rushes against per 60.
“I think the mindset more than anything is there with the checking side of things,” Berube told reporters. “We’re tight on people. We’re not giving up odd-man rushes. We’ve got to continue to stress that — not giving up odd-man rushes.”
Although it is too early in the season to make any declarative statements, Tanev and Ekman-Larsson appear to have rounded out the Leafs’ defence quite nicely.
All stats via Sportlogiq