Goaltending keeping the Leafs afloat while their blueline deals with injuries

Goaltending keeping the Leafs afloat while their blueline deals with injuries

On Tuesday night the Leafs saw Victor Mete become the next in the series of Leafs defensemen to leave the game due to an injury and not return. With the Leafs presently without Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie, Jake Muzzin, Jordie Benn and having additional depth injuries to Carl Dahlstrom and Filip Kral, the Leafs defensive depth chart is somewhat beyond ridiculous at the moment. Thankfully the return of Brodie seems to be imminent, and Mete won’t miss a ton of time, but it’s worth looking at how the Leafs have gotten through the past few games.

Sheldon Keefe says Victor Mete will be unavailable for rest of the week. They don’t think the injury is serious, though. But “he will miss some time.” @BodogCA @RinkWideTOR
— David Alter (@dalter) December 7, 2022

Morgan Rielly’s last game with the Leafs was on November 21st and the Leafs have played seven games since that point. That is the most significant run of games without Toronto’s top defense as Rielly, Brodie, and Muzzin were all out and Jordie Benn appeared in just eight minutes of that first game without Rielly before he too was injured. Here are the 5v5 on-ice numbers for the Leafs defensemen during that stretch (via Natural Stat Trick):
Player
GP
TOI/GP
CA/60
CF%
GA/60
GF%
xGA/60
xGF%
HDCA/60
HDCF%
PDO
Conor Timmins
1
13.45
31.23
68.18
0.00

1.82
65.89
13.38
57.14
1.000
Justin Holl
7
18.95
61.95
44.08
0.90
71.43
2.29
56.64
10.85
54.72
1.038
Rasmus Sandin
7
16.64
59.75
46.30
1.03
81.82
2.51
55.39
11.85
54.90
1.115
Mark Giordano
7
16.69
57.53
46.67
1.03
75.00
2.31
54.47
…

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Marlies rookies finding success with a few key players missing from lineup

Marlies rookies finding success with a few key players missing from lineup

Mac Hollowell, Victor Mete, and Adam Gaudette are all missing from the Marlies lineup, but the team is still finding a way to get wins.
20 games into this season and Toronto has a 12-7-1 record, sitting atop the AHL’s North Division. A few key players in Logan Shaw, Joey Anderson, and Alex Steeves have been heading the ship, though there’s also a few rookies beginning to find their stride in the league.
Noel Hoefenmayer’s stock rising
Although he’s not a rookie, Hoefenmayer is finally getting a consistent spot in the Marlies’ lineup.
And he’s making the most of it, too.
The 23-year-old played 18 AHL games last season bungying between Toronto and the Newfoundland Growlers. He only recorded three points throughout those games, playing with the team from December to January.
Hoefenmayer began this season with the Marlies, though, and has been on a tear accumulating 17 points over an 18-game span. That’s enough for sixth place among AHL defencemen in points and fourth when it comes to point percentage.
“[He’s] just so consistent,” William Villeneuve said of Hoefenmayer on Saturday. “He brings it every night. I think his defensive play and his physical game is very underrated. I think he’s really hard to play against.”
The 23-year-old defender has found himself on every pairing and has been leaned on quit …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Leafs hoping to be the team that unlocks Victor Mete’s potential

Following his selection in the 2016 draft, Victor Mete has been on a path that had him viewed with more potential than most fourth round selections. At 19 he made the Habs opening night roster. He’d follow that up with making the Canadian World Junior team, an accomplishment that now seems to be viewed more as a curse than an achievement. And the next two seasons would still see Mete used as an NHL regular, although never really establishing himself with a role with meaningful minutes. In short, he seemed rushed to the NHL.
Given his early arrival in the NHL, Mete also had an early arrival at waivers eligibility, and the Senators were all too happy to take a chance on a once regarded prospect at a discount price. Unfortunately, Mete’s time in Ottawa involved a further step away from NHL regularity and resulted in spot duty throughout his time in the capital. He seemed to be moving further away from the promising role he seemed destined for in Montreal.
It seemed entirely possible that it was time to write off Mete, but there is something to be said for a little exploration of talent. Montreal’s defensive reputation of late has been geared towards us …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation