At the beginning of November, we reviewed a handful of former Maple Leafs who left the organization in the offseason to sign elsewhere to see how their first month of the season went with their new teams.
Today, we’re back with more, as we look back at November for Tyler Bertuzzi, Ilya Samsonov, T.J. Brodie, Joel Edmundson and another player who is a new addition to this list.
1. Tyler Bertuzzi
Contract: 4-year, $22 million ($5.5M AAV)
November stats: 12 GP – 2 G – 5 A – 7 PTS
Season stats: 23 GP – 5 G – 5 A – 10 PTS
The start of the 2024-25 season for Tyler Bertuzzi wasn’t something we hadn’t seen before. The former Maple Leaf struggled out of the gate with his new team, recording just three points in his first 11 games – all goals. Fortunately for him, Bertuzzi has been able to find his way on the scoresheet on a more consistent basis, as the 29-year-old registered seven points in 12 games in November – two goals and five assists – while remaining the team leader in xGF/60 in all situations with 1.26, according to Moneypuck.com.
With a more productive month, Bertuzzi has improved his season totals to ten points – five goals and five assists – in 23 games, which puts him on pace for 36 points in a full 82-game season.
Tyler Bertuzzi sets up in front and guides home the beautiful pass from Bedard on the power play!#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/p0DFgj1kFK
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) November 8, 2024
The Sudbury, Ontario native will return to Toronto for the first time since departing the organization in the offseason on Monday, as the Chicago Blackhawks come into town to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs.
2. Ilya Samsonov
Contract: 1-year, $1.8 million
November stats: 4 GP – 2-2-0 – 3.96 GAA – .875 SV%
Season stats: 9 GP – 5-3-1 – 3.40 GAA – .892 SV%
October was kind to Ilya Samsonov, who went 3-1-1 in five games while posting a .906 save percentage with Adin Hill struggling in the crease. Unfortunately for him, things may have flipped. Despite his up-and-down moments, Hill has been the clear-cut number-one goalie for Vegas since the calendar switched to November, playing in ten of the Golden Knights’ last 14 games.
Since going 4-2-0 with an .878 save percentage in October, Hill got better, going 6-2-2 last month with a .903 save percentage, while his partner Samsonov only got into four games and struggled in those four contests numbers-wise.
On the bright side, he picked up two wins in those four games but struggled to keep the puck out of the net. His .875 SV% in November dropped his season numbers to 3.40 GAA and .892 SV% and might cement Hill as the bonafide number one in Vegas for the foreseeable future.
3. T.J. Brodie
Contract: 2-year, $7.5 million ($3.75M AAV)
November stats: 9 GP – 0 G – 2 A – 2 PTS
Season stats: 20 GP – 0 G – 4 A – 4 PTS
I spoke highly of T.J. Brodie last month because of what he brought to this team through his four years as a Maple Leaf. Although his play was trending in the wrong direction during the 2023 playoffs and the entirety of year four, Brodie was everything this team needed in years one and two of his contract. He was the perfect partner for Morgan Rielly after years of trying to find the right fit.
Brodie was never known as a flashy player on the blue line. He was a two-way player with good positioning, a great stick and incredible poise and has turned into a steady defensive presence. He has put up points in the past – two 40-point seasons in Calgary early in his career – but it’s not like he’s been generating offence at a ridiculous rate recently. He collected 26 points in his final year with Toronto – 25 of them being assists – and that likely had to do with how strong they were offensively.
Through his short time with Chicago, the Chatham, Ontario native has just four points. He registered two assists in October and followed up with two more in November. Brodie continues to serve as a serviceable veteran defenceman for a Blackhawks team that continues to try to take a step in the right direction.
4. Joel Edmundson
Contract: 4-year, $15.2 million ($3.8M AAV)
November stats: 14 GP – 0 G – 2 A – 2 PTS
Season stats: 23 GP – 3 G – 4 A – 7 PTS
Like Brodie, Joel Edmundson is not known for his offence. He’s a defenceman who takes pride in his physicality and defensive abilities. However, the former Maple Leaf came out with a hot start with the Los Angeles Kings in October, scoring three goals and adding two assists in nine games.
That type of production was unlikely to stick for the Brandon, Manitoba native as the season continued. He played in five more games last month – 14 on the season in total – and found his way on the scoresheet only twice with two assists. He’s now up to seven points in 23 games, which puts him on a 25-point pace and would be the highest point total of his ten-year career.
The veteran blue-liner has played almost entirely with Brandt Clarke, spending 270 + minutes together at 5-on-5. According to Moneypuck.com, the pairing ranks 29th in the NHL with an xGA/60 of 2.66 among pairings that have played at least 200 minutes together.
5. Timothy Liljegren
November stats: 15 GP – 3 G – 2 A – 5 PTS
Season stats: 16 GP – 3 G – 2 A – 5 PTS
It must have been frustrating for Timothy Liljegren early in the season. From being drafted in the first round seven years ago and once thought as an integral part of this defence for years to come, his departure was inevitable.
The 25-year-old got into one game with Toronto this season – which came against the Los Angeles Kings – before being dealt to the San Jose Sharks in late October. The trade was a no-brainer for the Sharks. Why not acquire and take a flier on a young, right-shot defenceman when you’re still years away from being competitive?
Since landing in San Jose, Liljegren has played in 15 games, recording five points – three goals and two assists – with four of those points coming in his last four games.
Talk about a weird bounce 🫨
Timothy Liljegren fires one from the point and it ramps over EVERYBODY in front to give the Sharks an early lead— Shesterkin had no idea where it was pic.twitter.com/P1vIqUUosC
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 15, 2024
What are your thoughts on the first two months with their new teams? Let us know below!
(Stats from hockey-reference.com)
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