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Change Toronto Maple Leafs Fans Really Want to See

By Michael Alexander

TORONTO, ON - MAY 31: Auston Matthews #34 and Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs take to the ice to play against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on May 31, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Canadiens defeated the Map[le Leafs 3-1 to win series 4 games to 3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MAY 31: Auston Matthews #34 and Mitchell Marner #16 of the Toronto Maple Leafs take to the ice to play against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on May 31, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Canadiens defeated the Map[le Leafs 3-1 to win series 4 games to 3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs fans are noticeably, and justifiably, upset.

Seven seasons removed from the scorched-earth approach of 2014, and after five consecutive first round loses, all seems lost again for the Toronto Maple Leafs, yet hope for change remains…for some of us.

I’m not advocating to blow it all up (again), but clearly something drastic, if not bold, has to happen.

The window is closing, after all.

Toronto Maple Leafs Options for Change

Apart from these four  options, there isn’t much else to do:

  1. Stay the course
  2. Change in management
  3. Change in players
  4. Change in coaching staff

Stay the Course:

Leaving everything the way it is and carrying on like everything is going according to plan is the least desirable course of action.

Then again, a change shouldn’t be made just for the heck of it. It can’t be cosmetic – you know, moving deck chairs around and covering up cracks. Nothing really gets done and everything remains essentially the same. Same stuff, different pile.

So, perhaps staying the course is the best course of action, the team, after all, failed without their captain and (arguably) best defenseman.  The numbers are good and the sample size is small.  Staying the course is the least exciting option, but it may be that only minor changes are necessary.

Change in Management:

Nip this in the bud.

Look, Leafs Brass hand-picked Shanahan to right the ship. He’s not going anywhere.

Same with Dubas – chosen by Shanahan and tied at the hip to cap-specialist Brandan Pridham – Dubas is the blueprint – he’s seeing this through too.

Change in Players:

After the Leafs shocking exit from the 2020-21 playoffs, you won’t hear many good things about them anywhere. This one cut deep.

Roster changes are inevitable every season, but a significant change is what the Toronto Maple Leafs need.  Complicating things is the flat-cap of $81.5M.

Maybe it is time to alleviate some of that pressure by removing a heavier contract and replacing it with more manageable ones. Good luck with that in the flat-cap era.

Hey, it could happen, but less significant moves are more likely.

For one, Kerfoot and his $3.5M contract being exposed in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft.

That could free up some space. But then what? Add a player with a similar contract? Maybe a defenseman?

Is that the “bold” move to play?

Change in Coaching Staff:

Sheldon Keefe has already experienced two unsuccessful tours of the post-season – the five-game series play-in with Columbus (2020) and the seven-game first round with Montreal (2021) – without every taking on an 82-game regular season schedule.

In that time, he has enjoyed some personal success highlighting:

  • In the 2020-21 shortened season, he finished the regular season with the highest winning percentage (.688%) of any Leafs coach.
  • In two “half” seasons, he’s second among active coaches in winning percentage (.660%); sandwiched between Minnesota Wild’s Dean Evason (.669%) and Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper (.647%). (stats nhl.com).

Look, Keefe is Dubas’ guy. They go way back to the OHL Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and then reconnected with the AHL Toronto Marlies. Keefe is probably going to be given his first full season.

Same can’t be said for Assistant Coach Manny Maholtra. With potent tools to run and operate a lethal powerplay, he fell short of impressing, converting only 20% – good for 16th in the league. The playoffs were even worse placing 14 out of 16 teams with a 13% efficiency.

If there’s going to be a coaching change, that’s likely it.

Attitude Adjustment

I’m not convinced anything drastic or bold is on the horizon – Shanahan and Dubas are strong Beleafers and they’re going to stick with their plan. But I wouldn’t put anything by them.

I am a Beleafer that any changes at this point must be truly transformational, so whatever can help make that happen, I’m all for it.

Next. Management Is Returning. dark

Losing a series up 3-1 – the 30th in NHL history – calls for a shakeup in the effect of a major attitude adjustment.

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