Predicting the Advanced Stats Leaders for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2014-15

Everyday hockey fans are becoming well-versed in advanced stats, with Toronto Maple Leafs diehards joining in that conversation increasingly.

There has been a real breakthrough into the mainstream hockey consciousness this past summer, which is great to see for proponents of these fascinating stats.

While many advanced stats are actually quite basic, they still tell a different story than the basic box-score stats like goals, assists and plus/minus ratings.

We'll consider both offensive and defensive categories in our list.

Let's take a look at the predictions for the Leafs leaders in 2014-15 in some commonly referenced advanced stats categories.

Shot Percentage: Tyler Bozak

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Like so many other advanced stats, shot percentage is not complicated. It's the percentage of goals to registered shots.

Tyler Bozak has a career shooting percentage of 16.7 and was at 21.1 last season.

While every indication is there that he should regress significantly from that 21.1 mark, even if he dropped six or seven full points, he'd still likely lead the team.

Expect Nazem Kadri to be somewhere near to Bozak's team-leading total, but it will be a surprise if any everyday player achieves a higher percentage than the Leafs' No. 1 centre.

Hits: Cody Franson

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Cody Franson registers more than three hits per game. Expect nothing less from the rugged Leafs defender in 2014-15.

Franson led the team with 282 hits in 2013-14. That was almost 60 more than second-place finisher Dion Phaneuf, who had 227.

The only other player who might enter the conversation in 2014-15 is David Clarkson, if he stays healthy and gets a lot of minutes.

Franson offers more than a physical game with his smart puck-moving from the defensive zone along with his overpowering shot on the power play.

Expect Franson to be a force against lesser quality of competition this season based on the upgrades the Leafs have made on the point. It should be a good season for the British Columbia native.

Blocked Shots: Dion Phaneuf

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Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf doesn't get the credit he deserves defensively. He plays against the opposing team's best forwards shift after shift.

He hasn't been paired with overly gifted players while in Toronto, yet he's put up decent offensive numbers in his tenure.

He's also been a great shot-blocker for years now. Last year was no exception. He blocked 156 shots, and that total was second only to his partner Carl Gunnarsson.

Expect Phaneuf to lead the Leafs in that category in 2014-15. If the Leafs are under less pressure in their own end, he may not be called upon to do it as regularly as last year.

But given the fact that he'll play against other team's top offensive stars, he'll likely be in front of a lot of rubber even if the Leafs improve defensively. Newcomer Roman Polak could give Phaneuf a run in this category in 2014-15. 

5-on-5 Corsi: Jake Gardiner

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Jake Gardiner led the Leafs in Corsi percentage in five-on-five play last season with a 46.5 percentage. Essentially, this number reflects the percentage of total shot attempts, for or against, when a player is on the ice.

While Gardiner led the team at 46.5, it meant that 53.5 percent of the shot attempts made while Gardiner was on the ice were taken by the opposition. That's not a good thing from a team perspective.

The Leafs should be better defensively, and Gardiner's percentage could be close to 50. 

Nazem Kadri was right behind Gardiner at 45.3 last season. Morgan Rielly was fourth on the club at 44.5; don't be surprised if he makes a significant jump to close to 50 percent.

Possession is going to be mentioned ad nauseam in 2014-15. With the new focus from the Leafs' developing analytics department, per CBC, this metric will be one that will be trotted out regularly.

5-on-5 Points/60: Phil Kessel

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This is another good advanced stat in that it looks at production in five-on-five play for every 60 minutes of play. Phil Kessel was tops on the Leafs in 2013-14 with 2.41 points in this category. 

That's a great number and demonstrates that Kessel deserves all kinds of prime even-strength minutes. It's unsurprising that his linemates filled out the Leafs' top three in this category.

Nazem Kadri was fourth in this area last year with 1.71 points. Don't be shocked if he gets a shot on the No. 1 line based on his improving even-strength play, although his defensive play is a work in progress.

The Leafs can only benefit if Kadri develops into a No. 1-calibre pivot in 2014-15. Keep an eye on this number to see how he's doing in that category.

Shot percentage, hits and blocked shots can be found on NHL.com. All other advanced stats can be found on Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com.