The 2016–17 Toronto Maple Leafs season was the
100th season for the
National Hockey League franchise that was established on November 22, 1917.[1] The Maple Leafs finished the season with 95 points (their highest in 12 years) and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the
2012–13 season. The Leafs lost two games to four in the first round against the Washington Capitals.
Off-season
The off-season was relatively quiet for the Maple Leafs relative to previous seasons. On July 1, the opening day of free agency, Toronto signed forward
Matt Martin to a four-year, $10 million contract, then brought back defenceman
Roman Polak on a one-year deal the following day.
Justin Holl, who had played with the Marlies the previous season, also signed a one-year deal. At the end of July, forward
Trevor Moore from the
University of Denver signed a three-year, entry level contract after impressing the organization during rookie training camp a few weeks earlier, which Moore had been personally invited to. No more moves were made until nearly a month later when, on August 22,
Jhonas Enroth was signed to a one-year deal to backup newly acquired goaltender
Frederik Andersen.[2]Mark Hunter was also promoted to an assistant general manager, while
Brandon Prust and
Raman Hrabarenka were signed to
professional try outs.
The Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot for the first time since the 2012–13 season. They qualified as the second wildcard team in the Eastern Conference and faced the
Washington Capitals, the division winner with the best record, in the first round. Washington won the series in 6 games, 4–2. This was the third playoff series in NHL history where five games were decided in overtime, the first occurring in the 1951 Stanley Cup Finals between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, and the second in the 2012 Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Chicago Blackhawks.
2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference First Round vs. (M1)
Washington Capitals: Washington wins 4–2
†Denotes player spent time with another team and has now joined the Maple Leafs. Stats reflect time with the Maple Leafs only.
‡Denotes player spent time with the Maple Leafs and has now joined another team. Stats reflect time with the Maple Leafs only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record.
Below are the Toronto Maple Leafs' selections at the
2016 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 24–25, 2016 at the
First Niagara Center in
Buffalo, New York. The Leafs held on to each of their picks in all seven rounds, and acquired an additional four picks through various trades.
d The
St. Louis Blues' sixth-round pick went to the
Toronto Maple Leafs as the result of a trade March 2, 2015 that sent
Olli Jokinen to St. Louis in exchange for
Joakim Lindstrom and this pick (being conditional at the time of the trade).[50] The condition – Toronto will receive a sixth-round pick in 2016 if St. Louis fails to make it to the
2015 Stanley Cup Finals[50] – was converted on April 26, 2015.[51]
References
^National Hockey League (2010). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2011. Triumph Books. p. 123.
ISBN978-1-60078-422-4.