The Leafs mission is almost over. They took the ice for one reason this year, and one reason only: to secure 30th place, and give themselves a better chance than anybody else at landing Auston Matthews with the first overall pick come June’s draft.

Okay, maybe there was a bit more to the year than that. But for the fans, aside from the recent youth movement, that’s largely what the focus has been on for the year.

But even so – even though the season was long, daunting, and oftentimes downright boring – there were actually some pretty good moments sprinkled in there. And we here at TLN are optimists – well, most of us anyways. So without further ado, let’s take a look back at the year that was. Today’s question posed to our esteemed staff of writers was, “What was your favorite in-game moment of the 2015-2016 Leafs season?”.

BOBBY CAPPUCCINO

Nothing defined this season as much as the

mass call-up of kids post-trade deadline. And no moment from those kids

was better than the first career goal from their top prospect. That’s

right, Nikita Soshnikov’s first career goal was incredible – an elite

shot sent top shelf. While he was used as a fourth liner in the AHL, his

skill level is clearly that of a top 6 forward. He just so happens to

be a workhorse and a pest, too. It’s that combination that made him an

instant fan favourite. It’s worth mentioning that I was Soshnikov’s

biggest fan at TLN at the beginning of the season, and his success at

the NHL level proves what we all know – I am always right.

Nikita Soshnikov’s first goal was an outrageous snipe: pic.twitter.com/wJDpHU878S — The Tank Nation (@TLNdc) March 3, 2016



JON STEITZER

I

mean, there were pretty goals, first goals, and a whole lot of feel

good stories that come with 10 players making their NHL debuts, but I

prefer to focus on the moment that really felt like it defined Nazem

Kadri as player.

Kadri had a rough October, and early November as he

was slow out of the gate on the score sheet when the team looked to him

to be a top line player. He got by on doing the little things, and by

peppering the league’s goaltenders with as many shots as possible in an

attempt to get things going for himself.

Some of those little things

were actually pretty big, like drawing penalties, and creating

turnovers, and by the time his season ended we had the complete picture

on Kadri. He’s transformed into a solid top six player who adds value at

each end of the ice, and he’s become one of the games top agitators.

What

better moment to capture Kadri’s evolution into that player than his

crushing hit on the game’s biggest pest. A sound defensive zone play in

its own right, it was one of the few plays this year that had me up out

of seat cheering for the Leafs as one the most hated players on the team

I hate most was taken to the ice on a clean hit.

Can’t stop watching Kadri wrecking Marchand. Just the best. pic.twitter.com/zT7ZeNv0Ix — The Tank Nation (@TLNdc) February 3, 2016



TOM HUNTER

While he’s seen as a bit of a goon and a guy

that really shouldn’t be in the NHL, Rich Clune seems to genuinely love

playing the game of hockey and won’t take himself too seriously when

doing so. After conquering a number of personal demons, Clune was given a

second chance and he’s making the most of it. He’s an AHL depth guy

that got called up to fill a hole on a very bad team and yet Rich Clune

gave us one of the best in-game moments of a very painful season.

In a

game against his former Nashville teammates, Clune took the opportunity

of an intermission interview with Mark Masters to cut a WWE-style promo

that had everyone laughing. He took a hilarious shot at long time AHL

rival Cody Bass during a time that is usually nothing more than

monotonous clichés. While the focus afterward was the levity he brought

to the interview, in a moment of vulnerability Clune might have let us

all in on how grateful he truly is to have this second chance, “I just

like playing against anybody”. There were a number of great highlights

skill on the ice this season, but it was this 45 seconds from Clune that

helped to remind us that these are guys playing a game, and it should

be fun for both them and the fans.





SHAWN REIS

There’s not much to remember this largely forgetful season by. It’s been a miserable year, one where the fate of the team seemed sealed before the skates even hit the ice. What’s there to cherish about a team that’s on the verge of finishing dead last in the league?

Easy: the Garret Sparks shutout. We all remember it. The Leafs were going through a rash of injuries in net and the Leafs called up the kid to make his NHL debut. A prospect making his NHL debut is always a little exciting. But I don’t think many expected the 7th-rounder that spent most of the previous year in the ECHL to become the first ever goalie in the entire history of the Leafs to post a shutout in his NHL debut.

Watch, remember, and cry, as we relive what is, for me, the moment above all others to remember the 2015-2016 Leafs by:











CAT SILVERMAN Last year, if Mark Arcobello had scored two

goals in rapid succession on the 2014-15 Leafs roster, that would have

hands-down been my favorite moment of the year. This year, though, I’ll

call it my favorite moment out of sentimental attachment to the guy

who’s an American hero – but man, it’s close. The

Leafs actually gave me a ton of moments this year that I loved. The

Arcobello goals came while I was at a Panthers game in Florida, and I

actually stepped out into the hall to rewatch them a few times, ignoring

my first game seeing Roberto Luongo live in almost six years. The

Sparks shutout debut was great as well, though – would have loved to

have known what was going through his head when he realized he’d made

history. Maybe one day I’ll get to find out; that could easily push that

moment to my favorite of the year. Watching

Brad Boyes score his first goal as a Leaf was great. Seeing how loud

the team made the ACC at times was incredible; the Toronto native in me

couldn’t have wished for a better time to see the fans finally renew

some hope in the team. It would take forever to go through all the

moments this year that made me smile – which is new for the Leafs. But hey – you all know me. The best in-game moment was the Marcobello goals. Fight me on it, I dare you.







ANTONELLA LOMBARDI I’m struck by how difficult it is to choose

my favourite moment of the season, because I wasn’t expecting to enjoy a

single second of it. When the season kicked off, I couldn’t have been

any less engaged. Cut to February 29th, when William Nylander, Kasperi

Kapanen and Nikita Soshnikov made their NHL debut. Although there were

many amazing moments since the day the baby Leafs bounced on the scene,

it was a game against the New York Islanders on March 9th that cemented

my excitement for the next generation, as well as the rest of the

season. I was sitting in the 300s at the ACC when the Islanders were up

by one with 1:13 left of play in the game when Nylander tied it up with a

rebound. It wasn’t a pretty one by any means, but it was a good

reminder that he could turn into the guy who can come up big when the

chips are down. A few minutes later in OT, it was Soshnikov who scored

the goal that won the game for the boys in blue. It was a game where the

kids (Hyman also had a helper) were the difference makers. Maybe I was a

bit buzzed on $12 beers, but it was the most fun I’ve had watching a

Leafs game in a long-ass time.







What, no love for William Nylander’s first NHL goal? Or Connor Brown’s late-game heroics against the Ducks? What was your favorite in-game moment of the 2015-2016 Leafs season? Let us know in the comments. What, no love for William Nylander’s first NHL goal? Or Connor Brown’s late-game heroics against the Ducks? What was your favorite in-game moment of the 2015-2016 Leafs season? Let us know in the comments.





