Tip of the Tower
Fansided

Toronto Maple Leafs players chasing end of season awards

By James Reeve

TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 29: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs fires a puck in against the New York Islanders during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 29, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Islanders defeated the Maple Leafs 4-0.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - DECEMBER 29: Morgan Rielly #44 of the Toronto Maple Leafs fires a puck in against the New York Islanders during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on December 29, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Islanders defeated the Maple Leafs 4-0.(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Earlier this week the PHWA released its mid-season award winners, with some Toronto Maple Leafs still firmly in the hunt for honours at the end of the season.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had some mixed results recently, with injuries and poor form seeing the team go just 4-6-0 in their last ten games.

Mike Babcock’s team, however, are still second-place in the Atlantic Division – sitting one point above the Montreal Canadiens with two fewer games played than their long-time rivals.

This strong position, regardless of recent form, has seen a couple of Leafs players listed amongst the top contenders for some of the biggest end of season awards given in the NHL by the Professional Hockey Writers Association.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ top defenceman, without a shadow of a doubt, is Morgan Rielly and he is having arguably the best season of his career in 2018-19.

More from Toronto Maple Leafs

Rielly broke the 50-point barrier with 52 (six goals and 46 assists) in 76 games during the Leafs’ record-breaking season in 2017-18, and the Vancouver, BC native has already hit the 50-mark once again, this time in just 49 games.

This exceptional achievement has already seen Rielly notch 13 goals, the highest single-season tally of his career.

This season, Rielly has averaged 22:41 on the ice with a 50.4 percent Corsi rating, despite consistently being paired with Ron Hainsey on the Leafs’ top defensive pairing.

In the PHWA’s mid-season rankings, the first round (fifth overall) selection in the 2012 draft currently sits second in the running for the coveted Norris Trophy – awarded to the best defenceman in the entire NHL at the end of the season.

Currently, Rielly sits behind 35-year-old Mark Giordano of the Calgary Flames, with ‘Gio’ having earned 52 points (11 goals and 41 assists) in just 49 games this season for the high-flying Flames.

Rielly’s form over the second half of the season will determine whether or not he can break the Leafs’ curse of having never had a defenceman win the Norris.

But that’s not all that Rielly is in the running for this season, with the Leafs’ alternate captain also ranked second in the race for the Lady Byng.

The Lady Byng, which is awarded to a player adjudged to have shown the best sportsmanship as well as high-levels of performances, was an award that Rielly was nominated for last season.

Rielly only finished 14th in last season’s voting, but it was the first award that he had been considered for prior to this campaign.

The 24-year-old is currently ranked second for the Lady Byng, behind the Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ blueliner is not the only player in the running for one of these prestigious individual awards, with goaltender Frederik Andersen also in the hunt for the Vezina Trophy once again.

Andersen has once more been one of the biggest parts of the Leafs’ successes this season, with the team sorely missing him when he was absent in December due to injury.

In 34 games this season, Andersen has posted a 22-11-1 record, averaging 2.56 Goals Against Average (GAA) and an impressive save percentage of .923.

His personal stats are significant improvements on last season (2.81 GAA, .918 save percentage), a campaign which saw the big Dane finish fourth in Vezina voting.

This season, Andersen finds himself sitting third, behind the Anaheim Ducks’ John Gibson and Vegas Golden Knights’ Marc-Andre Fleury.

If Andersen can get back to full fitness and continue his dominant play between the pipes, there is a huge opportunity for him to truly be considered for the Vezina by the end of the season.

The Leafs’ success in the playoffs will likely depend on Andersen’s health and his impact can’t be understated for the team.

dark. Next. Line changes give Leafs spark

What do you think Leafs fans? Are you pleased to see Rielly and Andersen ranking highly for some of the end of season awards? Who on the team deserves to be in consideration for others? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Home/Toronto Maple Leafs