The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2026-27 NHL season with a plethora of questions surrounding the team.
Could veteran netminder Sergei Bobrovsky bounce back from a questionable 2025-26 season? Would offseason acquisition Darren Raddysh come “as advertised” or take a step back on a new team? Could Chris Tanev bounce back from what was once thought to be a potentially career-ending injury? Would Auston Matthews return to form? Could a new coaching staff, which included Jim Hiller, Daniel Alfredsson, John Gruden and Brad Werenka, get through to a group that has often ignored its defensive responsibilities? Could general manager John Chayka ice a competitive squad? And what about rookie Gavin McKenna? Would he arrive as advertised or need time to develop?
Ten games into the season, some of those questions have been answered. That said, plenty of questions remain, perhaps even more than when the season began. Of course, with an 84-game season ahead, there is still a lot of hockey to be played, so answers may come and go, as will the questions.
If you have ever met with a business coach, they may have walked you through a framework called “Start, Stop, Continue.” The framework is generally credited to Phil Daniels, a psychology professor at Brigham Young University (BYU). However, the exact origins and date of its creation are not definitively documented.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Start, Stop, Continue framework could be a useful way to look beyond the win-loss record and examine the habits, systems and decisions that will determine whether this team can become a legitimate playoff contender.
With just ten games in the books, the objective is not to overhaul everything. Rather, it is to identify what needs to improve, which habits are costing the team wins and where the team can build on what is working.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at three areas where the Maple Leafs should either start, stop or continue.
Start
- Demanding Accountability From All of the Forward Lines: This is hardly a new issue, as the team has struggled to get buy-in from its forward lines for the better part of a decade. Through ten games, the Buds are averaging 3.20 goals against per game. While the goaltenders own their fair share of the blame, the forwards need to provide better support to the defensemen, be more aggressive in the neutral zone and collectively win more battles along the boards.
2. Reducing the Number of Shots Against: The Maple Leafs have allowed an eye-popping 29.5 shots per game, ranking them seventh overall and putting pressure on their netminders while overwhelming their defenders. Better puck management, stronger forechecking, quicker reads, better gap control and cleaner defensive-zone exits will go a long way toward reducing shots and increasing the team’s chances of winning games.
3. Holding the Coaching Staff Accountable: Jim Hiller and his coaching staff need to recognize when something isn’t working and make the necessary adjustments. Whether it’s defensive pairings, forward line combinations or defensive-zone coverage, the Leafs cannot continue repeating the same mistakes and expect different results. With 74 games remaining, there is time to correct course, but the coaching staff must be willing to adapt, establish clear expectations and hold players accountable when those expectations aren’t met, even when they are dealing with key injuries to the lineup.
Stop
1. Putting the Lines in a Blender: Given the number of injuries head coach Jim Hiller has had to deal with, we can all sympathize with the number of line changes he has had to make. That said, there comes a time when players need continuity to develop the chemistry required for each line to perform as a unit. Hiller needs to find a formula that works and stick with it for more than a game or two at a time. It is time to trust the process and allow the players to bond.
2. Over-Relying on the Power Play: Toronto has scored an average of 3.20 goals per game through the first ten games, ranking around the top ten in the league. The 6-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche demonstrated the team’s offensive potential. However, the 5-4 losses to the Utah Mammoth and Buffalo Sabres, followed by the 4-1 defeat to the New York Islanders, underline the danger of turning every game into a shootout or needing a late comeback. And let’s not forget that ten of the team’s 32 goals (nearly one-third) have come on the power play, underlining the need to generate more offense five-on-five.
3. Allowing One Mistake to Snowball: The players need to show greater composure when momentum shifts. Defensive miscues, poor puck decisions and missed assignments cannot be followed by another mistake on the next shift. A short memory is essential, but so is correcting mistakes rather than repeatedly making the same ones over and over again. Consistency is the key. And it wouldn’t hurt if the coaching staff took a timeout once in a while to calm the troops and give them time to breathe.
Continue
1. Getting Results From Special Teams: To date, the Leafs’ penalty kill has been the envy of the NHL. Through ten games, the team has a success rate of 96.9 percent, ranking first overall. Meanwhile, the power play has also been outstanding, humming along at a 28.6 percent success rate and looking very dangerous at times. Hiller needs to continue trusting his players to execute in these moments. It wouldn’t hurt if he demanded a little more discipline from his roster to give the PK unit a rest some nights, either!
2. Having Each Other’s Backs: Looking back at the “Matthews Incident” last season, there were concerns that the team would regress to having little or no pushback when challenged by opposing players. Through ten games, this roster has shown a willingness to scrap and get involved in scrums while slowly building an identity that was largely absent last season. For the players, it’s about trust, accountability and knowing your teammates will have your back when things get physical. The team needs to continue showing that commitment to one another throughout the season. Sticking up for your teammates shouldn’t require a wake-up call; it should be part of the team’s DNA. So far, there appears to be a fair bit of chemistry and pushback on the roster, which is a refreshing change.
3. Using the Team’s Speed and Skill to Generate Offense: The Leafs have shown they can dominate the scoresheet on occasion. The team’s six-goal performance against Colorado and five-goal overtime win over Nashville are examples of the offensive potential available when the team attacks with pace and creates chances. Hiller needs to continue encouraging the team’s speed and creativity while reminding everyone to pay attention to the details, especially on the defensive side of the puck. It’s a delicate balance, but one that can be achieved with a few tweaks.
There is plenty of time to correct course over an 84-game season, but the team cannot afford to treat its defensive problems as a temporary blip. The Start, Stop, Continue exercise reveals a clear path for the Maple Leafs to find success and perhaps earn a playoff spot. Start defending as a five-man unit, stop giving away preventable scoring chances, and continue using the speed and skill that make this team dangerous offensively.
If the Maple Leafs can make those adjustments, they will give themselves a much better chance of turning a sometimes frustrating start into a successful season.
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