Kampf was always a great defensive player with the Chicago Blackhawks, who surprisingly didn’t qualify him. Ondrej Kase, Toronto Maple Leafs ( Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers) That’s a potentially positive thing for the future. It even seems that, given coach Keefe’s deployment, the Maple Leafs have an extra defenseman in the wings in case of an injury. To my eye, the pairing of Muzzin and Travis Dermott has been every bit as effective as Muzzin’s pairing with Holl. Both young Swedes have the makings of solid NHL defensemen. As well, the emergence of Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren has helped fans forget they needed to re-sign Zach Bogosian. Furthermore, Rielly has played with more confidence since his contract extension. Related: Capital City Challenge Preliminary Wrap Up: Women’s Team & Team Red Part of that’s the improved defense and part is improved commitment to defense by the forward lines. Oddly, in a season where last season’s shut-down defensive pairing of Jake Muzzin and Justin Holl are not playing as well as they have (they are recently playing better), the team’s defense is even improved from the huge jump it made last season. What I Like #1: The Maple Leafs Are Committed to Playing Great Defense This is turning into one of the most enjoyable Maple Leafs’ seasons in recent memory for me and, I know, for others. In this post, and perhaps a bit tongue-in-cheek, I want to look at three things that – right now, at this point during the season – I really like about covering the Maple Leafs. Nick Ritchie, Toronto Maple Leafs ( Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)