The Toronto Maple Leafs are not off to the start of the season we hoped that they would have.
In the summer, the Toronto Maple Leafs made one huge move, and added approximately 46 depth players.
It was thought that this would give them a roster that was among the most talented in the NHL, while also being one of the deepest.
This still might be true, but the team isn’t playing in a satisfying way.
A 7-5-3 record is not what we were hoping for to this point.
Yes the schedule has been brutal (at one point they played 3 x back-to-backs in 12 days).
Yes the injuries have been brutal (with the back-to-backs, they played several games without four regular core players).
And yes, through it all, they’ve actually put up some half-decent peripheral numbers and are maybe not getting the results they deserve.
It is definitely a complex problem (they’re better than their record, and at the same time, maddeningly inconsistent) without an easy answer or narrative.
Take Auston Matthews – he’s on pace for 60 goals, he’s one of the NHL’s leading puck-possession forwards, and some how he leaves you wanting more. It’s like, he’s one of the best players in the NHL at 80% and you wonder, even if it’s not fair, what kind of gaudy numbers he could put up if he took over games more often.
I tend to think he plays in a way that makes it look easy – think Mats Sundin – so he always puts up results that outperform the eye-test of the effort you think you’re getting.
Either way, I digress: here’s the five ways that the Toronto Maple Leafs can improve. (Short of doing this, anyways).