Leafs Were Dead Last a Season Ago, But Things Look Very Different Now
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs couldn't buy a goal from their blueline last season, however only four games into 2025, there's a clear difference offensively.
For much of last season the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to find offense from anywhere on the ice except their blueline, which transformed itself into a brick wall full of shutdown defenders, but lacking in terms of real puck movement.
They sat dead last in goals from defensemen with 21 goals combined and that includes the likes of Philippe Myers and Conor Timmins; the latter who isn't even with the club this year.
Toronto's Offense Being Powered By Defense
Contrast that to 2023-24 where they had a slightly better number with 24 goals, including eight from Jake McCabe who decided to channel his inner Bryan McCabe and become a scorer.
But it's 2025-26 where we are starting to see something incredible: Toronto is actually getting consistent offense from the defense.
Already with three goals this season thanks to Morgan Rielly, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jake McCabe, we are finally seeing some improvement on the backend and it's sorely needed.
With Toronto's new forward lineup being built around being grittier, tougher and a bit more defensive; that doesn't lend itself to a ton of extra goals.
Which is why it's awesome to see Morgan Rielly get back to his old ways, and things are slowly coming into place. We don't need them to score 20 goals each, but adding an extra couple per game would help immensely.
Combined, the defense has 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) and have accounted for 64.7% of Toronto's goals one way or another this season.
How Hockey 101 Has Helped Maple Leafs Unlock Blueline Scoring
What's the old saying? You miss 100% of the shots you don't take?
Thankfully, Toronto heeded The Great One's words which has led to that change in scoring and the Maple Leafs are quickly adapting to a newer strategy on the back end.
Last season through four games they put up 34 shots on defense, and while they are on par this season with 29 shots; it's the types of shots.
They aren't lazily throwing it on net, but getting it there at a frantic pace. Of the top-10 hardest shots thus far, four of them have been defenders with Simon Benoit at the top with an 88.83 MPH shot.
These guys can wire it, and with so many big bodies like Matthew Knies, Bobby McMann, Nic Roy, Dakota Joshua and even a guy like Steven Lorentz (when healthy) that's a perfect recipe for success; get it on net and cause havoc.
It's only a four-game sample size, but it looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs defense has begun to adjust how they play and no longer are trying to get that extra pass in where they don't need to.
The name of the game is shots, shots, shots.
And everybody is getting in on the action.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 15 | 1007 ANSWERS Leafs Were Dead Last a Season Ago, But Things Look Very Different Now Do you think Toronto will get more consistent offense from their blueline? | ||
| Yes | 778 | 77.3 % |
| No | 229 | 22.7 % |
| List of polls | ||