Maple Leafs MVP during Matthews’ absence debated by NHL.com

The Toronto Maple Leafs have survived quite nicely without captain Auston Matthews, who missed nine games with an upper-body injury.

The Maple Leafs (14-7-2) went 7-2-0 during the absence of Matthews, who had 107 points last season, including an NHL-best 69 goals. The Leafs used the absence of their No. 1 center to climb the Eastern Conference Standings. They have the best points percentage (.652) in the Atlantic Division, ahead of the Florida Panthers (.620), who are the defending Stanley Cup champion and sit in first place in the division, one point ahead of the Maple Leafs having played two more games.

In fact, Toronto is third in the Eastern Conference when it comes to points percentage and sixth in the League.

Who has stepped to the fore while Matthews has been sidelined? Who is most responsible for the lofty position the Maple Leafs occupy just after the quarter mark of the season?

We asked seven writers, and here are their candidates ahead of Toronto's game against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; TVAS, Prime, CHSN).

Craig Berube

The Maple Leafs needed a change in mentality. Everyone knew they could score. Everyone also knew they were vulnerable to giving up goals, to the point of being easy to play against at times. It was their downfall in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Craig Berube came in with the goal of making the Maple Leafs harder. They're tough enough, but they needed to be harder to play against. They needed to limit shots, protect the front of the net, buy into the notion that a good offense starts with an elite defense. That has become more of the Maple Leafs' identity under Berube. They're giving up less but still generating enough. They didn't have Matthews for nine games; they lost just twice and allowed 2.00 goals per game. Proof. The 5-4 game has become the 3-2 or 4-3 game. The Maple Leafs are playing a brand of hockey that can translate into playoff success. They're buying what the coach is selling. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer

The goalies

Sometimes, two goalies are better than one. That’s certainly been the case for the Maple Leafs, who are getting the benefits of the work Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll have been doing in net. Stolarz is 7-4-2 with a 2.33 goals-against average, .921 save percentage and one shutout in 13 starts, and Woll is 6-2-0 with a 2.13 GAA, .923 save percentage and one shutout in eight starts. They’re a big reason why the Maple Leafs are third in the NHL in goals allowed per game (2.61). And their goaltending is the last line of defense on the penalty kill (81.5 percent), which is eighth in the League. It’s been a great combination for the Maple Leafs. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Mitch Marner

The forward did his part to help fill the void in the absence of Matthews. Marner had 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in the nine games Matthews was absent. He is on a six-game point streak (five goals, six assists) and leads Toronto in scoring with 31 points (nine goals, 22 assists) in 23 games. Marner is putting together a season worthy of Hart Trophy consideration. It is difficult to imagine where the Maple Leafs would be without him, considering all the injuries sustained to their forward group this season. Marner is on pace for his first 100-point season, averaging over 1.3 points per game. He is in the final of a six-year, $65.41 million contract with an average annual value of $10.90 million. -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

Jake McCabe

The defenseman had zero points during Toronto’s past 10 games. How can he be most responsible for the Maple Leafs’ success in that stretch? Well, in the 11 games before Matthews’ return, he was on the ice more than any other skater, averaging 22:04 of ice time per game. He played 194:04 at even strength, almost 16 minutes more than the next skater, defenseman Morgan Rielly (178:11), while starting only 31.9 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone. And Toronto allowed 10 5-on-5 goals over that stretch, four fewer than any other team in the NHL. McCabe must be doing something right. He had 22 blocked shots, second to defenseman Chris Tanev (32), and 21 hits, second to center Steven Lorentz (27). Can we give a defensive defenseman at least a little love? -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

William Nylander

Let’s start with the fact that Nylander is leading the Maple Leafs with 15 goals, five more than John Tavares. He also is tied with Tavares for the most game-winning goals on the team with four. Add in that Nylander has seen time on both power-play units – and may continue to do so, even with Matthews returning to the lineup – and there’s no question in my mind that Nylander has been a crucial factor in the success of the Maple Leafs. In the past 11 games as they’ve gone on their 8-2-1 run, Nylander has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) and has averaged 20:36 on ice, with two of his game-winners in that span. It’s clear that Nylander is rising to the occasion and the Maple Leafs are reaping the rewards. – Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

The Tanev-ator

Tanev's name might not show up on the scoresheet every night, but the 34-year-old defenseman has provided leadership, physicality, and defensive accountability as one of the most important character-driven additions on the roster this season. Acquired in a trade with the Dallas Stars on June 29 for forward Max Ellis and a seventh-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, Tanev signed a six-year, $27 million contract on July 1. He has the second-most blocked shots in the NHL this season (74) and has ranked in the top ten in the category each year since 2017-2018. The right-handed shot averages 19:23 of ice time for Berube in a second-pair role. He does a lot of things needed to boost the confidence of a hockey club as a penalty-killer, shot-blocker, being hard on opposing forwards and offering consistent efficiency on breakouts -- areas of the game never taken for granted. -- Mike G. Morreale, senior draft writer

John Tavares

The former captain, who was replaced by Matthews after Berube took over the team in the offseason, has not let the demotion affect his game. The drama could have been a distraction, but Tavares refused to let it be. In the past nine games, Tavares has 10 points (five goals, five assists), including three game-winning goals and two power-play goals. For the season, he is third on the team with 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 22 games. He is on pace for close to 80 points this season after having 65 last season. – Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial