A Very Early Look at the Toronto Maple Leafs Power Play Options

The Toronto Maple Leafs had the NHL’s 6th best Power Play  in the 2019-2020 season (in terms of conversion percentage) under now-departed Assistant Coach Paul McFarland. After offseason moves, the team will be able to field two formidable PP units, and will have more options for deployment.

The major changes made by McFarland to the setup of the Power Play last season were moving John Tavares up to the “bumper” spot in the high slot, and moving William Nylander up to the first unit as the net-front presence. Although the results over the long-term were there, there were many stretches during the season when the Power Play would stagnate.

While most of that had to do with the Leafs insistence on using a predictable and easily defended zone entry strategy, some of the struggles also had to do with the players being somewhat uncomfortable in their positions.

Tavares was awesome on the PP in 2018-2019 when he was used in front of the net – similarly to James Van Riemsdyk in years prior – potting 10 goals for the Leafs. Last season in the bumper position, Tavares was forced to be more involved in creating space for Marner and Matthews to operate, which led to an increase in assists and PP points overall, but forced him to be more opportunistic hunting for his own shot.

Interestingly, the high slot position was once one of the Leafs  most effective goal-scoring positions on the PP, with Nazem Kadri starring in the role in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018, scoring 12 goals each season from that spot, and Tyler Bozak producing there as well. It was only once Tavares came to the Leafs and they loaded up the first unit, pairing Matthews and Marner, that the bumper position struggled. (Stats via Hockey-Reference)

With Matthews and Marner on the wings in the 1-3-1 setup used by the Leafs, the focus is (rightfully so) on the cross-ice pass for the one-timer. This results in the bumper being used as a decoy for most of the action, trying to open up the cross-ice seam for either Marner or Matthews. Tavares still found ways to be effective on the PP, but he no longer had the tap-ins around the net that Marner and Matthews would set up for him the year prior.

These issues are minor considering that the Toronto Maple Leafs converted on 23.1% of their PP opportunities , but can cause problems when teams have time to scout and game plan for their attack, such as in the playoffs (15.4% on the PP, although with an extremely small sample size). Ironing out these inefficiencies will be crucial to the Leafs success, but look for that improvement to come from within rather than via any of the new editions – at least on the first unit. (Stats via TSN)

The Much Improved Second Unit

While Alex Kerfoot, Andreas Johnsson, Jason Spezza, and Kasperi Kapenen are good players, with all due respect to them, they aren’t Joe Thornton.

‘Jumbo’ Joe has the 7th most assists (1,089) in the history of the NHL (via ESPN). While Thornton’s age has affected much of his game, his passing and smarts remain elite. The Leafs are also adding a player with 166 career Power Play points in Wayne Simmonds, who at the very least can be a tough presence for defenders to deal with in front of the net. There is no doubt this second unit will be much improved. (Stats via Hockey-Reference)

There is doubt, however, about what formation the coaching staff will deploy for them. While the Leafs normally ice the same formation for both units, Thornton played in a number of formations and roles while in San Jose. He provides the team with more flexibility than in seasons prior that the coaching staff would be wise to take advantage of. For that reason, we’ll focus solely on personnel rather than positions for this unit.

The due of Thornton and Spezza are still dangerous on the Power Play, even while they are well past their primes. Both are pretty much stationary threats, but the unique skills they possess – Thornton with his passing and Spezza with his hands and shot – allow them to be effective nonetheless.

Wayne Simmonds is the obvious candidate to start the season alongside his fellow veterans, although the Leafs aren’t short on bruisers who can finish around the net if he fails to produce. He’s coming off a couple of injury-plagued seasons, and both he and the Leafs are hoping that an extended offseason (he and the Sabres missed the Playoffs, and therefore have been off since mid-March) can revitalize him.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have lots of options when it comes to the other two spots on the second unit.

The fourth forward spot could go to any number of players. Zach Hyman had the highest points total last season for any forward outside of the high paid star foursome, despite only playing in 51 games. Alex Kerfoot is a more skilled player, who plays with a pass-first attitude, but doesn’t offer much in terms of goal scoring. There’s also the hard shot of Nick Robertson, who the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching staff will want to get Power Play time if he makes the roster. Ilya Mikheyev could also get a shot on the second unit, although he’ll also be a crucial part of the penalty kill.

On Defense, the competition is equally as strong. T.J. Brodie isn’t a major offensive threat, but he is capable of manning a second unit. The same could be said for Jake Muzzin, who has played on the second unit sporadically in his season and a half in the blue and white. The wild card is Rasmus Sandin, who like Robertson may be fed some time with this unit if he makes the roster.

Kerfoot and Brodie are the favorites for the final two spots, but there should be lots of mixing and matching in the early parts of the season as Keefe finds the combinations he likes best.