The Toronto Maple Leafs and The Core Four: Overview

Last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs faced the Calgary Flames in Toronto. 2-1 win in OT with the game winning goal from superstar, Auston Matthews. The other Maple Leafs goal coming from Ondřej Kaše, assisted by Swedish king, William Nylander. The “Core Four”, as the Toronto media and fans like to refer to them as, includes Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and William Nylander. I’ll first give a little overview of how they have been playing so far this year, followed my predictions from these Toronto stars for the rest of the season.

Auston Matthews

(image credits The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn) This man needs no introduction but if you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, Auston is an Arizona raised superstar who joined the Maple Leafs as the first pick of the 2016 NHL draft. Matthews has had an incredible 204 goals and 157 assists in his short time with the Leafs. Last year, Matthews primarily played on a line with Marner, which we have seen this season has switched up with William Nylander on a line with Matthews most of the time. I really like this because you never know what line combinations will do well in games, until you play around with it a bit. After wrist surgery on the off season, I’m predicting a 50+ goal season for Auston Matthews.

Mitch Marner

(image credits The Toronto Star) Mitch Marner is off to a fantastic start to the season, with 13 points in only 14 games. And he’s just getting started.  Marner is seen as Matthews #1 assist maker, partner in crime, etc. You get the picture. Marner and Matthews go to together like peanut butter and jelly. I’m predicting a big year for the Toronto born superstar as well. After a playoff series last season that left fans wanting more, Marner is going to have a stellar season.

William Nylander

(editorinleaf.com) Swedish superstar William Nylander, son of NHL star Michael Nylander. Great start for this guy as well. 13 points in the first 14 games of the season. Nylander has stepped up his game in a huge way so far this season and I am loving every second of it. I don’t think he will have as many goals as Matthews, but expect a 60 point season.

John Tavares

Toronto born and raised captain of the team, drafted 1^st overall to the NY Islanders. My absolute favorite player in the NHL. Overall, I think Tavares is having a great start to the season. After his terrifying injury at the end of last season, I am so glad to see him playing well. In terms of points, JT has had a bit of a slow start this season but is now on a roll. Can’t stop the captain.

Conclusion

This team is so much more than these four guys. As a team, the Toronto Maple Leafs are solid, with depth and grittiness that been missing in previous years. However, the Core Four is exactly as it sounds; the core of the team. The players the rest of the team is based upon. I am predicting a really big year for the Core Four and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season unfolds for the Maple Leafs.

Leafs forever.

(featured image credits to The Athletic) https://couchguysports.com/short-handed-takes-a-boston-bruins-podcast-episode-5/

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-Alli Smith (@yourgalalxx on Twitter)