Five major Toronto Maple Leafs takeaways from the World Championship

In a month’s time, the landscape of the NHL will be changed. The draft and free agency loom, and the bulk of the offseason’s maneuvering will be over before long. Prior to this critical juncture, there are still some loose ends to wrap up for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Let’s take a look at the World Championship to see what developments are worth monitoring.

Tinus Luc Koblar breakout tournament

By far the biggest story of the tournament, from a Leafs perspective, was the fantastic play from Tinus Luc Koblar. Norway authored an incredible tournament, and in many ways Koblar led the charge.

Due to injury, Koblar found himself as the team’s top centre. Even more, Koblar carried the load offensively. The Norwegians had a number of drafted NHL prospects in their lineup, including first-rounders in Michael Brandsegg-Nygard and Stian Solberg. Brandsegg-Nygard was explosive on Koblar’s wing, and the duo helped propel the team.

When Koblar was drafted last season, his offensive tools were still a bit raw. There were encouraging signs that his body and his mind had a lot to offer, and he often found himself opportunities to make plays. His size and skating give him a high floor as a prospect, but this offensive growth shows a higher ceiling.

He produced reasonably well as an SHL rookie this season. This tournament will undoubtedly build his confidence and raise his profile, and we should expect that momentum to carry over into next season. Koblar is quite young for his draft year, and his draft stock would be much higher were he in this year’s class. He looks like a great pick by the Leafs, but he should not be a factor on the NHL team next season. Instead, we should hope to see continued growth, expanded role, and greater production either in the SHL or AHL.

Morgan Rielly farewell tour?

With trade rumours swirling about Morgan Rielly, it seems increasingly likely that a trade might happen this offseason. The World Championships offer a stage for more exposure for the rest of the hockey world. While seeing Rielly in a different role, a different system, and with different teammates will allow GMs, coaches, scouts, and players to see him in a new context. Even getting a conversation with Rielly might help put interested parties at ease.

Whether or not Rielly has some vintage hockey left in him is one question. Whether or not the Leafs should look to move him is another. The issue for the Leafs is that Rielly provides a lot of the things that the blueline needs more of, specifically offensively. If Rielly is moved, we should expect a concerted effort to add skill to the blueline, be that in the present or the future.

Ekman-Larsson anchored Sweden

On that note, Oliver Ekman-Larsson captained a Swedish team that suffered a disappointing end to the tournament. Despite his team’s knockout round defeat, Ekman-Larsson played a big role on the team. His nine points in eight games were good for second on his team behind Lucas Raymond, and just ahead of potential Leafs teammate Ivar Stenberg.

While his NHL reputation has been volatile the past decade, the captaincy is a well-deserved honour. Ekman-Larsson is playing great hockey and is clearly well respected amongst his teammates. While the moniker of a top pairing defenceman might not apply, and his age might be concerning, he is still a high-level contributor. Sweden knew exactly what they were getting from Ekman-Larsson.

Some fans might have been upset that he was not traded for draft capital at the deadline, but it would be costly to acquire a defenceman of his calibre this offseason. Without their own first-round picks in the next two drafts (2027 and 2028), the Leafs have no interest in being a bad team.

Even if his play declines with age, Ekman-Larsson should be celebrated heading into next season. He plays with an edge, is a fierce competitor, a respected leader, and is likely the Leafs’ top offensive option on the blueline next season. He was one of the few Leafs to play to a high personal standard last season. There is no reason that fans should do anything but throw support behind Ekman-Larsson. We have seen defencemen age gracefully, and Ekman-Larsson’s high-end talent, experience, and ability to adapt might allow him to be effective well into his late 30s.

On Sweden

The Swedes took a lot of interesting young forwards to the tournament. Ekman-Larsson was joined by Matthias Ekholm and others as a sprinkling of veterans. Lucas Raymond was the headliner. There were drafted prospects on encouraging trajectories, like Anton Frondell and Jack Berglund, who might be amongst the most valued prospects in the league.

There were also two important draft-eligible prospects who impressed through it all. Ivar Stenberg and Viggo Bjorck have had busy draft years, and impressed for Sweden at every opportunity. For now, the Leafs have the first overall pick. Stenberg seems to be behind Gavin McKenna as the favourite to go first overall; Bjorck is more viewed as a top ten option.

Hypothetically, the Leafs could trade the top pick, or trade into another top ten pick. For now, anything can happen. Comparison is a core component of draft season, but there is no need to be negative. All three of McKenna, Stenberg, and Bjorck are great talents. For Leaf fans, seeing Stenberg and Bjorck on this stage was encouraging.

Woll did not play well

Joseph Woll had a tougher tournament, as did the American team as a whole. Obviously, both he and Leafs fans wish his performance was better; it does not need to be a cause for concern.

Woll has endured a lot of injuries over his career, and those robbed him of opportunities to prove himself. The fact that he was willing to represent in this tournament shows a competitive spirit and good physical condition.

Ideally, the Leafs’ defensive efforts will be much improved next season, which would undoubtedly help whichever of Woll, Anthony Stolarz, Dennis Hildeby, or Artur Akhtyamov takes the net. Regardless of how many starts each of those goalies get for the Leafs next season, Woll is expected to be a big part of it. As much as there is hope for all four, any one of them might be dealt as well.

Woll might be a legitimate starter or tandem leader. He might also be best served as a high-end second option. Either way, there is still a lot to like about his game, where he is in his career, and his cap hit.

Tavares on the wing

The big story here is that John Tavares played the wing for Canada. The team is well populated with options down the middle, so this was not unique to Tavares. Still, there is a growing doubt that Tavares might not be better served on the wing for the Leafs as well.

With his age, many are concerned with his skating and his speed. Despite that narrative, Tavares equalled or bettered his skating speed and number of 18–20 mph bursts from 2021–22, by NHL Edge stats. He has continued to generate a high volume of shots from high-danger areas as well. He is also a fantastic face-off artist.

While he might not be at his peak, he is still a plus option in a middle-six forward group. His strengths as a centre make him even more valuable to the team. A better question might be if the Leafs could possibly add two centres more effective than him to necessitate a move to the wing.

Tavares will instead continue to be a pillar down the middle for the Leafs. If anything, his presence down the middle opens up roles for a number of Leafs wingers to find a place in the lineup. With a long-established connection with William Nylander, Tavares helped Easton Cowan and Matias Maccelli to play their best hockey last season.

It is true that a third centre who could push Tavares for minutes would be a great thing for the Leafs. Along with bolstering the blueline, it might even be the biggest need on the roster. Tavares is not the problem, but instead is vital to the solution.