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What a Mint MOment

3:57 AM · Nov 21, 2024

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• Fraser Minten and Nikita Grebenkin both made the most of their opportunities and have earned an extended look for Sunday’s game against the Utah Hockey Club. Minten won’t be asked to become a dynamic offensive presence, even when he peaks, but his hockey intelligence and tenacity stood out in his season debut. He worked well off William Nylander for the game’s opening goal, he created a good chance alongside Mitch Marner, he made smart reads and appeared far more comfortable with the physicality of the game than he did during his four-game stint last season. Grebenkin was a wrecking ball, delivering a crushing hit on Shea Theodore, and he used his size extremely well in the offensive zone, bullying opponents in the slot, while taking the puck strong to the net, winning puck battles in the lower third. It’s clear why Brad Treliving absolutely loves both players, and the future may be coming to us sooner than expected. Grebenkin and Minten may force many of Toronto’s underperforming bottom-six candidates out of the lineup permanently.
• I’ll have a larger piece this week but John Tavares’ power game and hockey intelligence are the keys to his resurgent season and he finished with another quiet, two-assist game. Tavares has recorded 19 points in 19 games, while fighting off an illness at the start of the season where he lost 10 pounds. As the game proceeded to become nastier following Zach Whitecloud’s hit on Matthew Knies, Tavares wrestled Alexander Holtz to the ground and was fired up. Tavares drew two penalties, blocked three shots, won 11-of-19 faceoffs and won his matchups in all situations against a potent Golden Knights team averaging close to four goals per game. Count this as another outstanding game for Tavares.
• Mitch Marner also deserves recognition for providing Minten with a sense of calm in all situations, he generated two primary assists, and is a primary reason why the Maple Leafs lead the Atlantic Division. We won’t go as far to say that he dominated his matchup against Jack Eichel, but he mitigated the danger, won the shot differential, and he may be floating among the down-ballot Selke candidates through the first quarter of the season.
• William Nylander was once again outstanding: he scored an actual goal, generated greater than one individual expected goal, he recorded six shots, 10 individual chances, generated two rebounds, while playing throughout the lineup. Nylander facilitated strong results for Knies and Grebenkin, he kept his teammates active and he’s clearly one of the NHL’s most dangerous players off the rush. Marner and Tavares are often the focal points when discussing Toronto’s 6-1 record without Matthews, but Nylander has 13 goals and 22 points in 20 games. He has to be a daily, positive talking point, even with his contract long resolved.
• Simon Benoit delivered an emphatic return to the lineup and while Toronto is looking to get Jani Hakanpaa back into the mix, Benoit is the superior option at the moment. Benoit was paired alongside Conor Timmins (who continues to play like a whole new man, mitigating risks with smart exits) and delivered a game-high eight hits. It had a real effect throughout the game and by the third period, few Golden Knights wanted to take on Benoit, who was hitting everything he saw while maintaining sound defensive positioning. It’s going to at least warrant an explanation from either Berube or Treliving if Benoit is out of the lineup Sunday.
• Steven Lorentz blocked four shots and should be commended for his efforts — in normal circumstances. Lorentz is on the fourth line but even still, the Maple Leafs’ forward depth is quickly becoming depleted, and there was a major sigh of relief when it appeared obvious that he was no worse for wear throughout the game. Joseph Woll said post-game that he may owe Lorentz dinner, so this is a both a moment of appreciation and perhaps overdue caution, as the Maple Leafs push through a wave of injuries.
• Woll was excellent when he had to be, he didn’t have to make any theatrical saves, but it was a quality performance against a Golden Knights team that can score torrentially. There’s no need for a sweeping statement just yet, as Anthony Stolarz should firmly be the team’s No. 1 as currently presented but Woll may be the NHL’s best No. 2 goalie right now. If Stolarz is the starter, what should the Stolarz-Woll split look like? I’m leaning 60-40 in Stolarz’s favour through the first quarter of the season.
• I’m not particularly interested in litigating the particulars of Zach Whitecloud’s hit on Matthew Knies any further. It appeared that Whitecloud made contact with Knies’ head, the official’s and league’s review surmise that Whitecloud’s primary point of contact was with Knies’ shoulder and chest. There’s also a case being made that Whitecloud’s connection with Knies’ head was incidental, and that his feet only left the ice as the result of contact. It should never be a zero-sum argument when it comes down to player safety but at the very least, there’s plenty of ambiguity across the board that starts from the league office. The real salient point, that both fans, partisans and journalists can all agree upon: let’s hope Knies avoided a major injury!

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