Leafs: 5 Storylines to Follow in the Second Half of the Season

By James Reeve | Jan 18, 2017

Jan 1, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews (34) during their game against the Detroit Red Wings during the Centennial Classic ice hockey game at BMO Field. The Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings 5-4 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports /

4 of 5

Dec 17, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly (44) makes a pass during the second period of a 2-1 overtime win against Pittsburgh Penguins at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /

4) Leafs Defence

The Leafs are one of the top scorers in the league this season, but have also conceded plenty of goals themselves.

Morgan Rielly suffered an injury in Tuesday night’s victory over the Sabres and, at the time of writing, it is not yet known how severe his injury truly is.

With the absence of the Leafs’ top blue-liner, it will be important for Mike Babcock to find a way to keep his team on top – filling in the hole left by the former fifth overall pick.

If the Leafs’ defence is unable to hold on to close leads, it will make life far more difficult for the free-scoring forwards on the team.

They have solid goaltending to give themselves a buffer, but the loss of Rielly and the performance of the defensive unit as a whole for the remainder of the season will be a crucial to the team’s success in reaching the playoff.

Home/Toronto Maple Leafs