Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe and former general manager Kyle Dubas had a very close working relationship, dating back to 2011 with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds.
When Dubas was replaced by current Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving earlier this year, many pundits observed that this was Keefe’s chance to show he could succeed without the influence of his previous boss.
While the tandem of Treliving and Keefe are still in the early stages of figuring out how to work best together, there are actions that clearly need immediate attention.
The Toronto Maple Leafs mediocre start to the season has demonstrated that more than just a minor tweak is required to get the team running on all cylinders.
On the positive side of things, the established heart of the team has been putting up numbers that justify the big dollars they earn.
William Nylander and John Tavares came streaking out of the gate with eight and seven game point scoring streaks, respectively. Auston Matthews rang up hat tricks in his first two games, and Mitch Marner has played well despite having some bad puck luck. Morgan Rielly has continued the high level of play he displayed in last season’s playoffs.
Additionally, rookies Joseph Woll and Matthew Knies clearly belong in the NHL, and have proven that the Maple Leafs organization can indeed draft and develop their own high end talent. Fraser Minten showed glimpses of having the “right stuff” before being sent back to junior to develop for another season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Need Immediate Changes
On the negative side of the ledger, the blue line corps was thin to start the season, and recent injuries to Jake McCabe and Timothy Liljegren have exposed just how little help the Leafs have available to solidify the ranks.
Ilya Samsonov has struggled to find his groove, and with a history of injury problems, Treliving may be thanking his lucky stars that Martin Jones slipped through waivers earlier and is available to be recalled from the Toronto Marlies as needed.
Finally, despite the strong offensive output from the top two forward lines and a powerplay that has gotten away to a good start, there is a distinct lack of secondary scoring and a feeling that the lineup overall is not clicking as well as it could be.
With all that said, here are five moves that the Toronto Maple Leafs need to make now to improve the team’s immediate outlook.