Toronto Maple Leafs: Ron Hainsey In Mid-Season Form
By James Tanner
The Toronto Maple Leafs barely eked out a victory last night against the Montreal Canadiens.
While Auston Matthews and John Tavares scored a combined three goals, the Toronto Maple Leafs opening night was a disappointment. Sure the win is nice, but basically all of the problems critics have pointed out were on display night for all to see.
The Leafs were one of the worst defensive teams in hockey last season, and since they returned (bizarrely and against my better advice) with the exact same top-four defenseman as last year, it is no surprise that they look pretty much as bad as they did last year without the puck.
The Montreal Canadiens and their AHL + roster dominate the Toronto Maple Leafs last night, posting 36 shots and out-possessing the Leafs at 5v5 56% to 44%.
You simply do not win many NHL games when you post those numbers. Frederick Andersen stole another game, and if the Leafs don’t improve defensively he’ll have to steal a lot more before all is said and done.
Ron Hainsey Needs to Retire
Ron Hainsey has no business being on a top pairing, in a top four, or, most likely, even on an NHL team at this point. He is so slow that I think I could beat him one-on-one. The Canadiens continually exploited his side of the ice and he was beat more times than I care to count.
Hainsey was fourth on the team in 5v5 ice-time, and he had a brutal 36% CF, meaning the Leafs took 12 shot-attempts while he was on the ice, but allowed 21.
Beyond being bad on a level heretofore unimagined, the worst part of the Ron Hainsey situation is that he makes Morgan Rielly completely useless. Rielly last year showed flashes of being on a level with Drew Doughty and Victor Hedman. The Leafs – who have a high powered offense but a weak blue line – could reasonably argue that Rielly is one of their most important players.
You just cannot have him attached at the hip to arguably the worst player in the NHL. No level of penalty killing prowess can make up for how bad Ron Hainsey is 5v5.
Other Thoughts
Nazam Kadri, John Tavares and Travis Dermott where the Leafs only skaters who had good games. Matthews was dominated my Domi’s line, and if not for the two (non even strength) goals he scored, you could reasonably say it was the worst game he’s had in the NHL. His line was caved in by Max Domi’s to the tune of 30% possession.
What do you mean he needs a winger? If you have Nylander on your right, you can probably live with Patrick Marleau on the left. But Marleau and Ennis is an absolutely brutal combination. Matthews clearly needs more help.
Kasperi Kapanen and Josh Leivo were both good last night and deserve a promotion. Tyler Ennis needs to go to the pressbox, along with Hainsey and Ozhiganov, who did not have a great debut.
Luckily, OZ was paired with Travis Dermott who is going to be a star in the NHL. The Leafs have three really good left-side defenseman (though Rielly and Gardiner were bad last night) but unfortunately, one of them needs to be switched to the right side.
The other thing is that even if the right side wasn’t pathetic, and it is, you need to get Dermott more ice time.
So, that was a bad game with a lucky result. If you’re looking for some positivity, it is impressive that the Leafs can play that badly and still win. They’re going to score their way out of a lot of trouble. Especially on a night where Mitch Marner had zero shots and William Nylander didn’t play.
Next. Robidas Island Is Requesting the Services of Ron Hainsey. dark
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a ton of potential, but they’re going to have to make some roster changes. Maybe it wasn’t that smart to decide on your line-up in July, Mr. Babcock. Just saying, but one thing training camp is for is experimentation.
Time to experiment with cutting Ron Hainsey.