The start of the stretch drive has officially begun.
Despite a recent slump, the Toronto Maple Leafs still sit second in their division and have the third-best goal differential in the entire league. To this point in the season, they haven’t dealt with a ton of injuries, but Auston Matthews and Frederik Andersen have both missed notable time while William Nylander sat out for the first few months of the season (and that showed in his play after returning).
Other than a recent Jake Gardiner injury (the timeline is unknown, but it doesn’t sound long term), the team enters the 12 games before the February 25 trade deadline relatively healthy.