We don't want a head coach that is putting the entire team into the line blender after one bad shift, but there needs to be some reaction to what we're seeing on the ice in the first two games of the Toronto Maple Leafs season.
The Leafs starting 1-1-0 is perfectly fine and reasonable. The results are there but the process could certainly be better. Head coach Jim Hiller is sticking with the same lineup that he has had since the season started earlier this week and it could ultimately be a mistake.
According to multiple reports, these are the lines that Hiller was running with at Leafs practice on Friday morning:
Kirill Marchenko -- Auston Matthews -- Jack Roslovic
Gavin McKenna -- John Tavares -- William Nylander
Easton Cowan -- Nick Paul -- Colton Sissons
Bo Groulx -- Teddy Blueger -- Brandon Duhaime
Morgan Rielly -- Darren Raddysh
Jake McCabe -- Chris Tanev
Oliver Ekman-Larsson -- Troy Stecher
Nick Blankenburg
It's nothing new. Those are the same lines but there are certainly two changes that Hiller should at least think about in the very near future and we're surprised that he hasn't made them already.
Jim Hiller is acting patient with his Leafs lineup
Let's start with the forwards. The Leafs first line is perfect, that shouldn't be touched as they are dominating teams through the first couple of games as Kirill Marchenko is fitting in perfectly. The problem lies in their middle six.
Gavin McKenna is going to have a great NHL career, but he has looked a little lost at the start of it. Whether it's the analogy of a deer in headlights, or whatever else you want to use, he needs time to get used to the speed of the NHL. Meanwhile Easton Cowan is lighting the world on fire.
Cowan is having a great start to his second year, looking like the real deal and a player that can be a perfect complementary piece -- he's an absolute dog. The trio of McKenna, John Tavares, and William Nylander are getting shelled when they're on the ice, so why not switch it up and do a minor little swap of McKenna-for-Cowan?
Cowan gets his chance with the big boys and to provide some forecheck and aggression to the second line, while McKenna gets more supporters in Nick Paul and Colton Sissons, to maybe give him some room to get more comfortable. Instead of relying on the two stars on the second line, maybe he can be the primary focus on the third line. Take a step back and be a big fish in a little pond.
On the blue line, Darren Raddysh has not looked too good to start his Leafs career. Maybe it's trying to do too much or something else, but he needs to just chill out. Morgan Rielly is not the partner you get to chill out.
Rielly should be demoted to being a sheltered offensive blueliner instead of someone playing top minutes on the top pairing. Whether it is Jake McCabe taking that top spot and Rielly is with Chris Tanev now to create more balance, or Ekman-Larsson takes Rielly's spot to just try it out -- something should be done to the pairs right now after seeing some bad defensive breakdowns so far.
Maybe Hiller is just waiting for some more evidence. The Leafs are hosting the Ottawa Senators in the first Battle of Ontario of the season on Saturday. If that goes poorly, then there should certainly be some changes made.
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