State Your Case: Who is MVP of Maple Leafs?

The Toronto Maple Leafs appear well on their way to reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh straight season. They are in second place in the Atlantic Division with 76 points (34-15-8), three ahead of the third-place Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Maple Leafs have had another strong regular season thanks to a roster of star players such as forwards Mitchell Marner, Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and defenseman Morgan Rielly. The addition of two-way center Ryan O'Reilly, who was acquired along with forward Noel Acciari in a trade from the St. Louis Blues on Friday, just adds to the list. He helped the Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019 and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as NHL MVP in the process. All will be on display when the Maple Leafs visit the Buffalo Sabres (28-22-4) at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, TSN4, SN NOW).
Out of all the marquee players on the Maple Leafs roster, it's hard to determine who has been Toronto's MVP to this point?
That's the question before NHL.com writers Mike G. Morreale and Mike Zeisberger in this installment of State Your Case.
Morreale: Matthews may not be scoring with the regularity he did a season ago when he led the NHL with 60 goals and won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's no longer playing a significant role, particularly when it comes to creating space for his linemates at 5-on-5 and special teams. Matthews, who has been battling through injuries this season, still possesses one of the best shots in the NHL, so the threat for the big one-timer is always there. He still generates a ton of offense, leading the Maple Leafs and among the top-15 in the NHL in shots on goal with 210. Toronto controls 53.3 percent of all shots attempted at 5-on-5 when Matthews is on the ice. Additionally, he's also the one doing much of the grunt work as a center, ranking first among Maple Leafs forwards in blocked shots (66) and top-3 in hits (62) and takeaways (48). Sure, his goal production may be down, but he still ranks second on the team in goals (26) and has helped elevate the play of linemate and Toronto's leading goal-scorer William Nylander (31) to greater heights.

Zeisberger: Great points, Mike. It's hard to go against the defending Hart Trophy winner. But Marner's importance to the Maple Leafs this season can't be denied, which is why I'm going with him. Of all the lofty accomplishments he's managed this season, it's his consistency that stands out above the rest. Consider this: In the Maple Leafs' first 57 games, he has scored at least one point in 49 of them, that's 86 percent of their games. Unlike other stars around the NHL whose point totals sometimes are escalated in chunks thanks to three- or four-point performances, the 25-year-old wing, who is tied with Nylander for the team scoring lead with 66 points (20 goals, 46 assists) contributes on the majority of nights. Oh, did I mention he set the Toronto franchise record with a 23-game point streak earlier this season? Or the fact that he has become one of Toronto's top penalty killers, showing that he can excel defensively as well as offensively? Add it all up, and to me it spells team "MVP," at least to this point.
Morreale: Marner has provided so much this season, and you certainly back that up in great detail. But we can also mention Nylander in the MVP conversation, as well as defenseman Mark Giordano in his first full season with the Maple Leafs ... they've been that good. I honestly feel it comes down to the fact opposing coaches will always plan around stopping Matthews. He's the straw that stirs the drink and as previously mentioned, the most valuable player on a team isn't always based on statistics alone, although Matthews has 10 power-play goals, one fewer than team leader Tavares. I also cannot stress enough how much more responsibility Matthews is given as a center and he's once again established himself as a big contributor in that area as well, winning 381 of 713 face-offs taken (53.4 percent) this season, which is second only to Tavares (57.5 percent) among Maple Leafs who have taken at least 100 face-offs. There's a lot of mileage on those arms and legs, but he still gets it done and will be the player the Maple Leafs look to down the stretch and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Zeisberger: We agree on one thing: this team has an embarrassment of raw talent. Of course, it takes a lot more than that to succeed in the playoffs, which is symbolized by the fact the Maple Leafs have not won a series since 2004. But in terms of this season, Matthews is obviously one of the best players on the planet, but so is Marner. And don't forget this: Matthews missed seven games due to injury while Marner has played in all 57 of Toronto's games. You can't go wrong picking either, but I feel Marner has the slight edge for the reasons given earlier. And while we're on the topic, I want to send out some appreciation for goalie Ilya Samsonov. Goaltending was a question mark coming into the season after Jack Campbell left via free agency. With Matt Murray having injury issues for a chunk of the season, Samsonov has put up solid numbers (19-7-2, 2.38 goals-against average, .915 save percentage). The Maple Leafs would not be where they are without the former Washington Capitals goalie.