Toronto Maple Leafs 2021 season preview and predictions

Toronto Maple Leafs 2021 Season Prediction # 1: Marner’s redemption season

There is no denying that Auston Matthews is the Leafs’ best player and no one will benefit from playing with him more than Mitch Marner.

Add Joe Thornton to the top line should hopefully elevate Marner’s game as he will likely benefit from more scoring opportunities. After busting out for 26 goals and 94 points in the 2018-19 season, Marner had 67 in 59 games last season.

There is no denying the chemistry between Marner and Matthews so as long as that line can dominate possession in the offensive zone, they should have no problem putting up points. Marner’s playmaking ability will put him in a position to put up more points than Matthews,

Marner likely won’t come close to scoring goals at the same rate as Matthews but any increase in production will go a long way. It will also mean getting into better scoring areas and actually shooting the puck more than he has been.

The challenge is trying to predict how many goals and points a player will have in a 56-game season. But if we take Marner’s goals per game and points per game average he should be able to get to 15 to 17 goals comfortably and if he were to eclipse 20, that would be a bonus.