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Who has been the Maple Leafs’ MVP this season?

Originally posted on 6IX ON ICE | By Anthony Fava | Last updated Apr 3, 2025 1:35 PM ET

While not the prettiest at moments, due to both injury troubles and simple slumps, the Toronto Maple Leafs currently hold a three-point lead on the Tampa Bay Lightning and four point lead on the Florida Panthers for the top spot in the Atlantic Division. If they can keep it up, it will be the first time the Leafs have won their division since they came first in the one-time Scotia North Division during the COVID-19 formatted 2020–21 season and the first time they have won the Atlantic since the league realigned the divisions in 2012–13.

Despite the overall unimpressive play by the team’s captain, Auston Matthews, many other Leafs have stepped up and allowed the team to get to where it currently is. From Leafs staples to new guys on the squad, there have indeed been some impressive individuals on Toronto’s 2024–25 roster.

I will be taking a look at the top players at forward, defence and in net, analyzing their stats and overall performance this season, and determining which of them has been the Leafs’ most valuable player.

Let’s get started.

Forwards

This section may as well be called the ‘Core Four’ minus Matthews, as despite his inconsistencies, the other three core forwards have excelled.

Beginning with the elder statesman of the group, John Tavares has stepped up under new coach Craig Berube and has put up solid totals for the Buds this season. The 34-year-old has put up 36 goals and 70 points in 68 games, potentially his first time surpassing the point-per-game mark since 2018–19 when he had 47 goals and 88 points in 82 games–the highest goal and point totals of his career.

While not quite at the level of that season, Tavares’ contribution as he enters his mid-30s has been truly impressive, and he’s been very effective on the ice, with a +8 rating, the third-highest total in his career. Make no mistake, losing the captaincy has not taken away from Tavares’ ability to lead this team to new heights, and he is putting that on full display.

The second-oldest member of the ‘Core Four’, William Nylander, has been on a heater as well this season. He got off to a bit of a slow start to the season with no points through the Leafs’ first two contests, but that quickly changed as the 28-year-old right-winger put up five goals and seven points in the following four games. Since then, Nylander has been electric, leading the team in goals with 42 on the season–seven more than Tavares, who occupies the second spot, and the second most in the NHL.

The Leafs needed someone to step up in the goal department with the absence of another 60-plus goal season from Matthews, and Nylander, while not at a 69-goal output, has found the back of the net the most times in his NHL career to this point. And with seven games to go, could we see Nylander surpass the 50-goal plateau? It’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility.

The final member of the ‘Core Four’ hasn’t had the same goal output as the previous two mentioned, but what Mitch Marner has done is put the team on his back. Coming into this season, there was much speculation surrounding Marner’s future with the team after multiple poor playoff performances, and while the rumours haven’t completely died down, Marner has played amazing hockey this season, and shown why he is an asset the Leafs should keep around.

Marner leads the team in points with 93 points in 74 games–the fourth most points in the league. Of those 93 points, 69 have been assists–the most on the team by a whopping 29 assists, and the third most in the NHL. On top of this, Marner is tied for the highest plus-minus amongst forwards with a +11. All in all, Marner has truly turned up the heat this season, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him hit the 100-point and/or 70-assist, mark for the first time in his career.

Defencemen

While the forwards have done the majority of the heavy lifting on the scoring end, the Leafs’ defenders cannot be overlooked, and two specific rearguards have been elite this season for Toronto.

Beginning with a Leaf who signed in the offseason, Chris Tanev has been a consistent force on the team’s back end. If you’re looking for an offensive defenceman, Tanev is not that. But when it comes to the defensive end, Tanev has been as good as it gets for this Leafs team, averaging an astounding 2.6 blocked shots per game–the second highest average in the league–and showing he’s not afraid to put his body on the line to prevent an opposing goal.

Tanev has also had a great knack for effecting positive play this season, making big plays in the Leafs zone and setting up solid offence the other way, shown by his team-best +27 plus-minus total. Tanev was elite on the Calgary Flames and Dallas Stars, and he has continued that this season with Toronto.

The other defenceman that has stood out is Jake McCabe, who is currently in his second full season with the Leafs. McCabe, while having slightly better offensive numbers than Tanev, is still not a major factor on the front end, but McCabe makes up for it with his elite defensive play. And like Tanev, McCabe is an elite shot blocker with 2.1 blocked shots per game–the 19th best total in the NHL.

McCabe also has the second best plus-minus on the team at +24, showing that, like Tanev, McCabe has been a majorly positive force when on the ice. And speaking of being on the ice, McCabe has the highest on-ice minutes average on the team at 21:28 minutes per game. Clearly, Berube believes in him, and rightfully so with the play he has put forth in 2024–25.

Goaltenders

The Leafs have dealt with goaltending insecurities in years past, but that changed this season with the emergence of an elite-level tandem in Toronto.

The first member of the duo is 26-year-old Joseph Woll. After playing backup to former Leafs netminder Ilya Samsonov in 2023–24, Joseph Woll has seen an increase in his starts this season, and he hasn’t disappointed. With 25 wins on the season, Woll leads all Leafs goalies in victories this year.

Woll has also put up solid numbers, including a .906 save percentage and a 2.78 goals-against average–improved from the 2.94 GAA he had last season. Woll has made a number of incredible saves this season, and the Leafs would not be wrong for giving him the starting job in the postseason.

However, Woll’s tandem partner, Anthony Stolarz has been equally, if not more, impressive this season. The Leafs’ signing of Stolarz in the offseason has paid dividends as the 31-year-old has been incredible, leading the Leafs with a .919 SV% and a 2.35 GAA–the fourth and fifth-best totals in the league respectively.

Like Woll, Stolarz has made a number of incredible saves this season, and while he has played less than Woll, mostly due to injury, Stolarz has shown that he can be a true No. 1 netminder on a true playoff contender like the Leafs. And like with Woll, it would not be surprising if Stolarz is given the No. 1 job come playoff time.

MVP: Mitch Marner

There have been plenty of solid performers on the 2024–25 Maple Leafs, but when you take into account both stats and what the player’s performance has meant to the team, Marner stands out just a bit more than the rest.

In a season where Matthews has not been himself, Marner has been an offensive machine and filled in the top spot on this Leafs roster. While Tavares and Nylander have put up more goals, Marner’s superb assist totals have him at another level. And with all the speculation and all the pressure that was on Marner to perform, it makes his solid play that much more impressive.

Marner has been the best Leaf this season, and if he can flip the script and continue that play in the postseason, the Leafs could reach new heights, and Marner will certainly be paid handsomely come free agency.

This article first appeared on 6IX ON ICE and was syndicated with permission.

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