2023 Fantasy Hockey Team Previews: Toronto Maple Leafs
The 2023 DailyFaceoff Fantasy Hockey Projections has projected stats for over 650 skaters and goalies.
The Fantasy Hockey Team Previews have all the projections for that team and mini-bios for all the Re-Draft and Dynasty relevant skaters and goalies.
In addition to the Fantasy Hockey Previews, Daily Faceoff is previewing all 32 NHL teams for 2022-23, with a new in-depth breakdown dropping every weekday! Click here to find every preview in one place.
Skaters
Auston Matthews
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 77.9 | 58.9 | 43.1 | 102.0 | 20.4 | 17.0 | 15.3 | 26.9 | 346.4 | 17.0% | 20.8 | 688.3 | 66.3 | 69.9 |
2021-22 saw Matthews enjoy a true breakout season as he crushed his previous highs in goals (60) and points (106), easily surpassing both the 50-goal and 82-point mark for the first time in his six-year career. Matthews led the NHL in goals and shots for the second straight season while ranking third in points-per-game (1.45). Despite playing on a Maple Leafs’ power-play that ranked third in PP% (24.4) over the last two seasons, Matthews’ modest production (42 PPP) ranks 31st in the NHL. There’s room for his power-play totals to grow, suggesting he can build on a 60-goal, 100-plus point season in 2022-23. He’s one of three players with a case for going No.1 overall in fantasy drafts.
Mitch Marner
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 75.2 | 30.1 | 63.1 | 93.1 | 18.3 | 21.1 | 5.7 | 27.1 | 220.0 | 13.7% | 21.2 | 9.4 | 41.2 | 56.1 |
Marner started 2021-22 on a very slow note, scoring only six goals and 15 assists through his first 26 games. However, even with the slow start, the 25-year-old closed out the year 10th in points (97) and 25th in goals (35), finishing over a point-per-game for the fourth consecutive season. Marner has been a fantasy star in the last five NHL seasons as the winger ranks an impressive sixth in assists (275) and ninth in points (394). Playing alongside Matthews will help Marner maintain his elite assist totals. Take him in the second round with confidence of another 30-goal, mid-90-point season as Marner continues to flirt with passing the 100-point mark.
John Tavares
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 79.1 | 28.3 | 45.7 | 74.0 | 1.3 | 28.8 | 9.2 | 23.3 | 236.3 | 12.0% | 18.4 | 772.7 | 41.0 | 74.8 |
2021-22 was yet another strong year for Tavares as he finished just three points below a point-per-game. Tavares failed to reach 30 goals for his third straight season but posted his second-highest assist total (49) of his career. His shot volume (9.96 SOG/60) has remained steady during his time with Toronto, and his 237 shots in 2021-22 ranked 35th in the NHL. Tavares doesn’t appear to be the 50-goal, 40-assist threat he was when he arrived in Toronto, so expect totals closer to 30 goals and 75 points in his age-32 season.
William Nylander
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 79.5 | 32.1 | 41.7 | 73.9 | 1.1 | 18.9 | 10.6 | 25.5 | 240.7 | 13.4% | 18.3 | 46.7 | 26.4 | 19.7 |
Nylander quietly enjoyed an incredibly strong 2021-22 season posting his highest career totals in almost all statistical categories. The winger finished 30th in goals (34), 33rd in points (80), and 20th in shots (256) while only playing 18:16 a night on the Maple Leafs’ high-powered offence. Nylander should be able to continue posting 30-goal, 40-assist totals as a member of the Maple Leafs’ top-6 and top power-play unit. It makes him a top-40 option who’s going 64.6 ADP on Yahoo right now.
Morgan Reilly
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 74.7 | 8.5 | 46.6 | 55.1 | 11.7 | 32.5 | 1.5 | 18.4 | 182.3 | 4.6% | 23.8 | 0.0 | 84.8 | 81.7 |
Rielly finished as a top-10 defenseman in 2021-22, scoring double-digit goals (10) for the second time in his nine-year career. Additionally, his 68 points were the second-highest total of his career and good for eighth among NHL defensemen. Rielly’s bump in shot volume (221 SOG) was the driving force behind the great season, making him a low-end No.1 fantasy defenseman entering 2022-23. As long as he’s quarterbacking the Maple Leafs’ top power-play unit, you can feel comfortable with Rielly anchoring your fantasy blueline.
Michael Bunting
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 78.0 | 23.9 | 33.0 | 56.9 | 18.5 | 55.7 | 2.1 | 4.5 | 164.0 | 14.6% | 15.6 | 10.3 | 18.5 | 86.5 |
At 26 years old, Bunting surprisingly led all rookies with 63 points during the 2021-22 season. Paired alongside Matthews and Marner for most of the season, Bunting finished 70th in league scoring while becoming one of six Maple Leafs to surpass 20 goals. Bunting did so while ranking 13th on the team in ATOI (15:33). Bunting remains an excellent sleeper pick heading into 2022-23 as he seems to be the forgotten third piece on one of the league’s best lines. The concern for Bunting is that everything seemed to have gone perfectly in 2021-22, so how much better can he get in 2023? His 13.1 SH% and 13.2 on-ice SH% likely aren’t going to get much better, so the only way for him to reach 70-plus points would be increased ice time.
Mark Giordano
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 76.9 | 7.8 | 23.7 | 31.5 | 7.3 | 38.3 | 1.9 | 9.7 | 150.0 | 5.2% | 19.4 | 0.0 | 127.9 | 62.7 |
Giordano started 2021-22 as the inaugural captain of the Seattle Kraken, finishing his stint with the team with 23 points in his first 55 games, and found himself a highly sought-after trade piece by the March deadline. After being dealt to the Maple Leafs, the defenseman enjoyed success, compiling two goals and 12 points in his opening 20-game spell with the team. Across an 82-game season, that would have played out to an 8-goal, 49-point year, placing him 21st in NHL defenseman scoring. At 39 years old, his best fantasy days are all but over. Still, he finds himself a part of the Maple Leafs’ high-scoring roster, where he should continue to find success at 5v5. However, he’ll likely be relegated to second power-play duty, severely limiting his overall upside. He’s a low-end No.4/high-end No.5 fantasy defenseman that should only have a starting spot in fantasy lineups in deep leagues.
Alexander Kerfoot
| GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| 80.3 | 12.4 | 29.9 | 42.3 | 9.7 | 23.1 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 110.3 | 11.2% | 15 | 120.3 | 56.3 | 66.8 |
Much like many of his fellow teammates, Kerfoot enjoyed a career-best 2021-22, topping his career highs in assists (38), points (51), plus/minus (+19), and shots (117). Finding himself in and out of the Maple Leafs’ top-6 throughout the year, Kerfoot passed the 15-minute average time-on-ice mark for the first time in his five NHL seasons (15:13 TOI). A 40-point season fueled by heavy assist numbers should be expected from the 28-year-old as he enters his fourth season with the Maple Leafs. He’s a free agent streaming option when the Maple Leafs have a favourable schedule, and he’s playing with Tavares and Nylander.
Goalies
Matt Murray
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 46.0 | 28.6 | 12.1 | 5.3 | 0.909 | 2.76 | 2.5 |
Murray joins the Maple Leafs fresh off a 2021-22 season, which saw him clear waivers early in November as he opened the season with a 0-5-0 record alongside a .890 SV% and 3.26 GAA. Murray found his way back to the Senators by mid-season due to injuries and recovered some of his final stat lines as he finished the season above a .900 SV% for the first time in three years. His five wins in 20 starts should see a heavy increase as he goes from Ottawa to Toronto. Murray will look to surpass the 30-win mark for the first time in six years as he projects to get the bigger half of the coveted Maple Leafs’ starts. He makes a risky play come draft day as he makes one of the harder goalies to predict after so many up-and-down seasons and plenty of competition from Ilya Samsonov.
Ilya Samsonov
| GS | W | L | T/O | SV% | GAA | SO |
| 36.0 | 22.0 | 9.7 | 4.3 | 0.908 | 2.80 | 2.5 |
Samsonov signed a one-year, $1.8 million “prove yourself” contract with the Maple Leafs in the 2022 offseason, a year after finishing below a .900 SV% (.896) and above a 3.00 GAA (3.02) for the first time in his three-year career. The 25-year-old will look for a bounce-back season, likely taking the lessor of the start splits between him and Murray. Still, the Russian makes a sneaky fantasy draft day selection as he is one hot stretch away from stealing the starting position on one of the league’s highest-scoring teams. Even if he is splitting time, he’s worth the gamble on draft day because Samsonov could be a No.1 fantasy goalie option for a portion of the season if Murray gets injured.
Remaining Maple Leafs Projections
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | (+/-) | PIM | PPG | PPP | SOG | S% | ATOI | FOW | BLK | HIT |
| Alexander Kerfoot | LW/RW | 80.3 | 12.4 | 29.9 | 42.3 | 9.7 | 23.1 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 110.3 | 11.2% | 15 | 120.3 | 56.3 | 66.8 |
| Calle Jarnkrok | C/RW | 72.7 | 15.1 | 19.8 | 34.9 | 10.9 | 12.1 | 2.3 | 8.0 | 121.3 | 12.4% | 16 | 174.6 | 21.9 | 41.6 |
| Pierre Engvall | LW/RW | 77.3 | 14.2 | 16.0 | 30.2 | 9.0 | 29.3 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 139.5 | 10.2% | 13.3 | 65.1 | 16.6 | 68.0 |
| Jake Muzzin | D | 73.3 | 5.7 | 22.6 | 28.3 | 7.7 | 35.8 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 125.0 | 4.6% | 20.7 | 0.0 | 112.0 | 142.2 |
| T.J. Brodie | D | 81.7 | 3.5 | 21.3 | 24.7 | 19.3 | 38.1 | 0.0 | 2.1 | 71.1 | 4.9% | 21.3 | 0.0 | 109.7 | 52.7 |
| Timothy Liljegren | D | 71.0 | 5.5 | 19.1 | 24.6 | 10.3 | 19.5 | 1.3 | 2.7 | 87.5 | 6.3% | 16.7 | 0.0 | 74.5 | 100.5 |
| David Kampf | C | 82.0 | 8.5 | 14.9 | 23.4 | 8.5 | 21.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 101.1 | 8.4% | 15 | 575.5 | 25.9 | 72.7 |
| Justin Holl | D | 76.8 | 2.7 | 19.6 | 22.3 | 11.8 | 38.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 71.8 | 3.7% | 18 | 0.0 | 97.9 | 109.4 |
| Nicolas Aube-Kubel | LW/RW | 74.3 | 9.3 | 12.6 | 21.9 | 1.3 | 48.9 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 86.2 | 10.8% | 10.5 | 3.3 | 21.7 | 153.4 |
| Adam Gaudette | LW/RW | 65.6 | 7.6 | 12.0 | 19.6 | -7.3 | 22.6 | 1.4 | 4.3 | 98.3 | 7.7% | 11.3 | 93.5 | 20.3 | 59.1 |
| Wayne Simmonds | LW/RW | 76.1 | 6.7 | 9.1 | 15.8 | -3.0 | 75.9 | 1.3 | 1.8 | 88.9 | 7.6% | 9.8 | 6.3 | 17.1 | 137.5 |