3 Changes the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Make If Play Resumes

#1: Move Morgan Rielly to the Top PP Unit

The past season saw Rielly take a step back in terms of offensive production, but also showed his value to the team when he wasn’t present in the lineup.

We will take this opportunity to give Rielly a chance to succeed in a position he has found success in the past: part of the first power-play (PP) squad.

Part of the reason why he was “demoted” to the second unit was to give Tyson Barrie, who was also struggling to start the campaign, a chance to get back on track and implement a different element to the nucleus of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander.

By all accounts, the switch worked as the Leafs are sixth in the league in PP% with 45 goals scored on the man advantage. And their success rate improved when compared to the previous season.

They are 2nd in the NHL in G/60 on the PP since Keeef took over, only falling out of first place during the last week of the season.

Here’s the thing: when observing the Leafs PP in 2019-20, it was frustrating to watch at times the number of missed opportunities of scoring chances.

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse here, but Barrie’s shot selection was oftentimes stress-inducing, to say the least. While it sometimes worked, his point shots were regularly either blocked in the lane or off-target.

It might be staggering to think that the Leafs stuck with him in that spot for so long, but there were little alternatives to choose given Rielly’s injury.

This was also in part due to assistant coach Paul McFarland’s strategy of using the point man to blast a shot through traffic with a chance at a redirection. It may have worked in Florida, but it wasn’t as successful in Toronto.

Given that McFarland is due to depart the team at season’s end and with Rielly back to full health, it only makes sense to experiment with putting the latter back on the top unit in an effort to him going.

With Barrie’s long-term future in Toronto uncertain, it might be worth-while to alternate between the two players depending on the situation and providing the squad more options for set-ups and sequences.

Putting Rielly back on the top PP unit might be a solution to helping the Leafs find more success on the man advantage. Even if they are given minimal chances on the PP.

Give Jack Campbell More Starts

Before I begin this second point, I want to preface by saying this suggestion is assuming that the resumption of play kicks off with the final 12 regular-season games.

With that out of the way, it was quickly apparent that Campbell was the backup goalie Leafs fans have been waiting years for. One that can ease Frederik Andersen’s workload and provide some critical wins that the team often took for granted.

But in his early showings donning in the Blue and White, Campbell demonstrated that he could do more than knock a few games off Andersen’s schedule.

While the sample size is small and should be taken with a grain of salt, Campbell’s early returns were very promising as he was a calming presence in the crease. It’s something the Leafs hadn’t boasted in a backup goalie since Curtis McElhinney, proof of just how important a quality backup goalie truly is to a team’s success.

It’s no secret that Andersen struggled the past campaign and posted uncharacteristic numbers in comparison to past seasons, leading to questions surrounding his future with the team. While it’s a tad extreme to cut ties with him too soon, he does need some rest to avoid being burned out when the Leafs will need him at his best.

Which is why it might be a good idea to give Campbell some more starts down the stretch. He is not going to outright replace Andersen, but will instead give the Leafs another quality option to man the cage and give his team a chance to win.

And if his confidence grows along with the results, then it could lead to a goalie tandem system that is similar to what the Boston Bruins implement.

Assuming the return of hockey starts with the remaining regular-season games, the Leafs should seriously consider bestowing Campbell extra starts.

Overhaul the Penalty Kill Unit

While it’s no secret that the Leafs team defensive issues are ones that will take a while to solve, one that they can at least improve upon is their lacklustre penalty-kill.

I’ve already mentioned in the past that the Leafs should be looking at outside help to improve the shorthanded unit by going after guys like Blake Coleman. With the trade deadline long passed, there will need to be internal progressions in order to make the squad as good as they can. Which won’t be easy given that the Leafs currently sit in the bottom half of the league in PK%.

Now it is true that the team did improve in this department since Keefe was hired as coach, but it can be argued that the improvements were marginal and that the Leafs are still adjusting to the new system. And it will need to be learned quickly as part of why they fell to the Bruins in 2019 was due to the flaws of their penalty kill being exposed.

If there is a silver lining in all of this, Keefe is willing to try different line combinations and has some weapons that could help improve the team’s play down a man.

Mitch Marner has grown to be an effective penalty killer and should be given a larger role on the unit. Kasperi Kapanen and Pierre Engvall are both smart defensively and have the speed to burn to create shorthanded chances. Zach Hyman needs no introduction, Frederik Gauthier is good on the draw, and John Tavares has proven to be a difference-maker on the PK previously.

And that’s just the forwards. One defensive pairing has to be Justin Holl and Jake Muzzin as both have become the de facto shutdown duo. The second pair could involve one of Travis Dermott, Rasmus Sandin, and Morgan Rielly depending on who the coaching staff feels more comfortable with the defence.

Whichever direction the Leafs go, it is imperative that they improve the PK line combinations as it could mean the difference between a long or short playoff run. Given that it has been a problem for a while and was a pitfall in previous playoff appearances, the Leafs will need to find a way to change the shorthanded unit for the better.

While the date of hockey’s return remains up in the air, the time off gives Keefe and the company a chance to think creatively at some strategies. The three suggestions mentioned are some they should look into and trying whenever that day comes.