It’s no secret the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t playing their best hockey at the moment. At the time of this writing, the Maple Leafs are 4-4-1, good for nine points, and a tie for fourth place in the Atlantic Division.
The Leafs’ less-than-stellar start has raised plenty of question marks regarding the Leafs’ ability to win hockey games. In particular, the biggest question has been scoring enough goals. That situation has prompted all sorts of theories attempting to explain the situation.
The easiest and most notable one has been Mitch Marner’s absence. As Elliotte Friedman noted in his October 23, 32 Thoughts column:
“The Maple Leafs are struggling, which can’t be considered an enormous surprise with all the heavy lifting Mitch Marner did in their lineup. That’s a big role to fill, and it’s going to take multiple people to do it, unless they do acquire the top six forward they’ve been chasing.”
Yes, Friedman is right. But Marner’s absence is not the only explanation in this situation. It’s a multifactorial matter that’s far more complex than meets the eye. While Marner’s departure left a significant hole in the Maple Leafs’ lineup, the issue runs much deeper.
It’s worth pointing out that Brad Treliving’s arrival a couple of summers ago ushered in a new era of Maple Leafs hockey. Gone where the days of free-wheeling play characteristic of Kyle Dubas and Sheldon Keefe. In was a hard-nosed system that Treliving and Craig Berube promised would transform the Leafs into Stanley Cup contenders.
That remains an ongoing process. The Maple Leafs have attempted to shift from a system in which Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Morgan Rielly, and John Tavares became very accustomed to. Keefe’s laissez-faire attitude gave players plenty of leeway.
That’s something that Matthews and company still haven’t quite adjusted to. So, even with Marner’s absence weighing heavily on the Maple Leafs, it’s not the only explanation for what’s happening with the team.
Maple Leafs continue morphing into a grinding, physical club
As I’ve pointed out in the past, the Toronto Maple Leafs are morphing into a team akin to the Florida Panthers. Treliving and Berube’s vision is what current Leafs management is sold on. The powers that be moved on from the Shanaplan and embraced, whatever you want to call, the current plan in place.
The aim is to transform the Leafs into the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers. The Lightning and Panthers’ mix of talent and grinding style enabled them to win four Stanley Cups in this decade.
It’s also the system that’s currently working for the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings have a good mix of high-end talent and a grinding style that capitalizes on opponents’ mistakes.
That’s where the current vision is headed for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That vision has made it hard for Matthews and Nylander to wheel and deal. It’s also made it tough for other players like Nick Robertson to stand out.
Meanwhile, we see John Tavares thriving in that system. It suits guys like Nic Roy, Steven Lorentz, Calle Jarnkrok, Bobby McMann, Chris Tanev, and even Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Does this mean that the Maple Leafs will eventually score a ton of goals and wipe out everyone in their path? Hardly. What it means is that the Leafs will, if everything goes according to plan, have their fair share of low-scoring, slogfests. Sure, Matthews may become a 60-goal scorer again. But getting there will largely depend on the supporting cast stepping up.
It’s still relatively early. But there’s still time for Toronto to turn things around. If that doesn’t happen, then questions about blowing everything up will become inevitable.