I’ve been writing these for many years now. And after a decade of covering this team, I think it’s fair to say there’s never been a report card the Maple Leafs were as happy to take home to their parents as this.

The Leafs are a pretty good hockey team. Twenty-one games into Year 2 of the Auston Matthews Era, they’re 14-7-0 — the fourth best record in the NHL — and on pace for a franchise record 109 points.

That’s a wee bit high given some of their underlying metrics. These Leafs certainly aren’t perfect. Their recent 2-6-0 slide highlighted some of their defensive issues, and they’ve won a lot of games where they weren’t exactly impressive. They still concede too many Grade A chances to be considered one of the best clubs in the league.

But, then again, this is an NHL that’s very wide open at the top.

Where the Leafs are dominant is in generating quality chances. They currently sit first in the NHL in scoring chances produced per 60 minutes played (33.8), which is up from last season’s (also league-leading) 32.0.

And that strength covers a lot of warts.

What follows is a player-by-player look at the first 21 games of Toronto’s 2017-18 season. As always with these things, I grade based on a) expectations, b) role and c) salary, meaning someone like Connor Carrick ($750,000) has to do a whole lot less than Frederik Andersen ($5-million) to get a good grade.

Players are sorted by position and minutes played per game, from most to least. Only those with more than five games played are graded, except when it comes to the backup goalie. Somewhere in the C+ to B- range is considered average, and the Leafs are graded on the basis of being the Leafs — a wild-card team a year ago — not the defending Stanley Cup champions.

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Forwards: B+

Auston Matthews: A+. What more can you say? Even battling through injury, the 20-year-old has put this team on his (possibly ailing) back again and again. He is on pace to produce 15 more goals and 27 more points than last season’s Calder Trophy winning turn and has taken the next step in every other tangible way. His shooting percentage may be a bit inflated, sure, but you look at the fact he has only three power-play points so far and realize there’s more to give elsewhere. But he’s the future captain. Maybe future Hart winner. He’s certainly already won some hearts in the fan base. (I promise that’s my only Dad joke in here.) ‌‌‌

William Nylander: B. Willy, as his coach calls him exclusively, is the victim of expectations a little here. He has been fine. He has been an adequate sidekick to Matthews, helping make that line one of the best in the league in the early going. Unlike Matthews, however, he is on pace for fewer points than a year ago, despite increased ice time. And he has had some noteworthy defensive lapses that have drawn criticism from his coach. Still very much a star in the making. But the “making” part is very much in progress, too.

Zach Hyman: B+. Much maligned as a rookie for all of the chances he failed to convert on, Hyman has been better in that department this season. He is tied for fourth on the team in even strength points (11), anchors the top penalty kill unit and remains incredibly adept at getting his more skilled linemates the puck. It feels like his new $2.25-million contract will be far, far less controversial the longer he keeps this level of production up. (And it’s worth noting that it continued even when Matthews was hurt.)

Patrick Marleau: B+. Marleau is on pace for 31 goals and 55 points at 38 years old. Both would rank up there among the best seasons ever for players of his vintage. He has not looked old or out of place early on this year and has even stepped seamlessly into a role at centre when injuries and inconsistency have hit Toronto’s middle men. He has also been eating some tough minutes and has the second best possession mark of any regular in the lineup (53.2 per cent). Marleau’s only 8.5 per cent of the way into his controversial three-year deal, but he’s enough of a freak of nature that perhaps he really can play like this until he approaches his 41st birthday? That would be something. They can probably start working on that Hall of Fame portrait.

Nazem Kadri: A-. Offensively, there’s absolutely nothing to complain about. Kadri is on pace for another career year after a brilliant 32-goal, 61-point season in 2016-17. The only thing holding him back from a perfect grade is some of the defensive lapses that have shown up from time to time. When the Leafs have struggled, it’s often because Kadri (and his line) has struggled. But he is nonetheless a big reason for Toronto’s hot start. He is in Matthews’ shadow, but he is far from consumed by it.

Leo Komarov: C. Komarov somehow has only four even strength points this season. Fewer than Matt Martin, Andreas Borgman, Dominic Moore and 13 other members of the Leafs. He has the second worst possession numbers among the regulars, too. Uncle Leo’s defensive game remains dependable from a suppression standpoint, but he really hasn’t been particularly noticeable this season and his ice time has been cut. This feels like he’s playing out the string in Toronto, with free agency looming in July.

Connor Brown: A. Mike Babcock had a funny line about Brown recently that I’ll paraphrase a little here because I don’t have the quote with me. Asked about Brown, and his versatility throughout the lineup, the coach basically said something along the lines of “You can put him on the fourth line because he just doesn’t care. It’ll never change how he plays.” That’s Brown, in a nutshell. He is only getting 11 minutes a game at even strength, but he is also the only player on the entire roster — defencemen included — getting two minutes a game on each of the special teams units. Matthews leads the Leafs and is third in the NHL in even strength points per minute, but Brown is second on the team and 27th in the league (minimum 200 minutes played). He’s higher than Patrick Kane and Alex Ovechkin. (And yeah some of that is a sky high on-ice shooting percentage that will regress to the norm, but let’s remember he had 20 goals a year ago, too. He can produce.) So in all three categories — expectations, role and salary — Brown is way ahead. That’s an A.

Mitch Marner: B-. Marner is a tough one. I don’t think a worse grade is warranted given he seems to be rounding into form. And he is on pace for 59 points, basically right in line with his totals as a rookie a year ago. But he started very tentative and slow, with his confidence shaken for some inexplicable reason. His minutes are down and his shot totals are, too. But we’re starting to see his skill set come out more and more. As long as that keeps happening, that early season blip will be long forgotten by April.

Tyler Bozak: C. I won’t be as forgiving on Bozak. Like Komarov, he just isn’t producing at even strength, with only six points in 21 games. He has spent time on the fourth line with Martin on his wing. And his minutes are down to under 15 per game, easily the lowest of his career. Still a key part of the top power-play unit but everything else seems to have taken a step back. Could easily be another swan song season here.

James van Riemsdyk: B. It can be hard to evaluate players separately from their linemates. With Bozak and Marner struggling at times, can we pull JVR’s results away from theirs well enough to say that he hasn’t been part of the problem? Well, one big difference is his production. JVR has been extremely difficult for teams to contain at the net, and he is on pace for 41 goals, which would be a career year, by far. Despite the fact he is down to 14 minutes a game, his shot rates are flat from a year ago. His possession numbers are up. He’s a star on the power play. And he’s talked at length about how he’s worked hard to improve his all-around game. I think it’s there to see.

Dominic Moore: C. Moore has been fine. He has been a little bit more involved offensively than I was expecting and a little bit more lax defensively. His possession and PK shot suppression results lag behind his teammates, but for a low-minute, low-cost fourth line centre, he is giving them what’s warranted. But he’s no Brian Boyle.

Matt Martin: A. I don’t see any flies anywhere do you?

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Defence: B

Nikita Zaitsev: C. Evaluating D can be so difficult. Zaitsev is logging the most minutes on the entire team — again — and some nights it’s hard to see why. The Leafs are being heavily outshot when he’s on the ice, despite the fact Rielly-Hainsey are taking the toughest matchups, and Zaitsev’s play with the puck seems to be wanting. He’s not an easy, clean out type in a game where those are increasingly prized. In the first 21 games of his big new contract, it’s a no from me so far.

Jake Gardiner: C. The tricky thing here is Zaitsev and Gardiner have basically been inseparable at even strength. So are Zaitsev’s struggles affecting Gardiner or are Gardiner’s struggles affecting Zaitsev? Are they both just struggling? This pair ended last season (and went into the playoffs) as the Leafs top unit and seemed fine in that role. Now they seem to be unfit to log 22 minutes a night mostly against second lines. I don’t know, but I’m not giving it a good grade.

Ron Hainsey: A+. On the flip side, Hainsey has been a revelation early on with the Leafs. His critics were many after his turn on the Penguins top pair during their Cup run last spring, but Hainsey has played a solid, quiet game that has been a terrific complement to Rielly. And Hainsey’s 10 even-strength points are tied for fifth among NHL defencemen. Plus he is playing more minutes shorthanded than any player in recent memory. Hard to believe.

Morgan Rielly: A. Maybe it’s because he has the best D partner he has ever played with? Maybe it’s because Rielly, at 23, has found the next level in his game? But on the ice and off he has displayed a remarkable maturity and calmness this season, settling in as a key quarterback on the top power-play unit and a puck-rushing workhorse at even strength. His minutes are down to around 21 per game, but he very much looks like that No. 1 D-man he was drafted to be. Which is very good news for Toronto.

Andreas Borgman: B+. The Leafs youngest defenceman surprised in training camp and continues to be a steady presence on the third pair. His minutes are limited and he’s not facing very difficult competition, but I like what I see. Much has been made of his physical game, but he can handle the puck and skate better than was advertised coming in. There have been mistakes, but there’s real potential here. Some scout over in Sweden deserves a raise.

Connor Carrick: B. We keep waiting for Carrick to take the next step, one that would put him closer to a No. 4 defender than a No. 6. It hasn’t really happened this season. His results are solid in 13.5 minutes a game, but the coach doesn’t appear to trust him on either special teams unit, and he hasn’t been very involved offensively overall. It’ll be interesting if there’s an injury to Zaitsev or Hainsey just how prominent Carrick becomes in the lineup. Because when things got hairy in the playoffs last year and D-men started going down, Babcock showed he didn’t have faith in his game.

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Goalies: B-

Frederik Andersen: B-. First 15 games? Probably a C or lower. Lately? An A+. We know Andersen is a streaky goalie, even if we account for how streaky NHL goalies typically are. But right now, Andersen is riding high. His save percentage is tracking behind last year’s (.914 vs .918), but at this rate, that could change in another game or two. And a confident Andersen is a very tough goalie to beat.

Curtis McElhinney: C+. McElhinney certainly doesn’t get any favours with starting as infrequently as he does and always playing the second night of a back-to-back. And the Leafs are probably in trouble if Andersen goes down and they have to lean on him for more than occasional relief appearances. But I can’t deny he played well in Boston last week. And given the low expectations, he has performed about as expected. The Leafs will need an upgrade at some point, though. And the good news is Garret Sparks has been a star in the AHL early on.

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Coach: B

This has been an interesting start for Babcock. His team has been all over the place — great one night and then putrid the next. They’ve had both a winning streak (right now) and a losing skid (two weeks ago!). They still aren’t very good at locking things down in their own end. If anything, they probably look weaker positionally and territorially than at many points last season. It’s hard to understand why the Leafs appeared to be so well organized in Year 1 under Babcock and then have regressed to this early on this season. But, of late, we’ve seen him push more of the right buttons, shifting deserving players up and down the lineup as needed. He weathered the Matthews-less storm pretty well. And you can’t argue with the results on special teams, even if Hainsey might be a corpse by Game 35.

Management: A

The Shanaplan is looking pretty good about now. The Marlies are tearing up the AHL, stocked with ready replacements when the salary cap necessitates the Leafs shed a veteran or three. And the off-season acquisitions of Marleau and Hainsey have worked out well — better than expected, to be honest. The decisions only get tougher going forward, what with new contracts needed for Matthews, Nylander and Marner, as well as a decision pending on GM Lou Lamoriello, who doesn’t have a deal beyond this season. We can quibble with a couple contracts — Martin and Zaitsev among them — but overall, the Leafs brass has done a remarkable job turning this roster around in short order. They finally did a real rebuild, and they’re being rewarded for it right now.

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