The Toronto Maple Leafs are top-heavy and are desperately searching for consistent depth scoring. The core four of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, John Tavares and Mitch Marner have accounted for 46.73% of the Maple Leaf's goals scored, and when you include Mattew Knies and Max Pacioretty, the Leaf's top six account for 63.04% of the team's goals scored this season.
Saying the Maple Leafs are top-heavy is not breaking news. The team is intentionally built this way because that is the correct way to build a team in a salary cap situation. The problem is that they have filled their bottom-six with players who will never score (Lorentz, Reaves, Holmberg, Dewar) and do not use any of their stars on their third line.
At times in past seasons, depth scoring has been a significant concern around this team but has often been hidden by the fact that the Maple Leafs have averaged 3.58 goals per game (third-most in the NHL) over the three seasons. I
But in 2024, depth scoring has been one of the most significant topics of conversation, considering the Leafs are only averaging 2.95 goals scored per game, which ranks 19th in the NHL.
In his most recent attempt to spark some offence, head coach Craig Berube landed on a third-line combination of Max Domi, Nicholas Robertson, and Bobby McMann. The trio combined for four goals against the Dallas Stars, this new third line could pack the punch the Maple Leafs have been looking for.
Maple Leafs New Look 3rd Line is Exploding Offensively
We first saw this line combination on Sunday night in the Leafs 5-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres. Going into that game, McMann, Robertson, and Domi had combined to score eight goals, six of which came from Bobby McMann.
In the win over the Sabres, Domi opened the scoring for the Leafs, getting his first goal of the year, and later in the game, Robertson scored his third of the year. Domi and Robertson recorded assists on each other's goals, and McMann assisted on both goals, for all three players on the line to finish with multipoint nights.
The trio followed that up with an even better performance against the Dallas Stars in the Maple Leafs next game. Domi once again opened the scoring for the Maple Leafs in another 5-3 win. Then, Robertson scored the Leafs' third goal, and McMann scored the fourth of the game. With back-to-back monster performances, the three have now combined to score six goals in their last two games, almost reaching their total of eight the Maple Leafs first 30 games.
Even more encouraging is that this trio is dominating their minutes at five-on-five thus far. In the last two games, McMann, Robertson, and Domi have expected goal percentages above 67% and high-danger chance percentages higher than 77% while on the ice at five-on-five.
If the Leafs want offense, Domi, Robertson, and McMann makes sense on paper. McMann is a great forechecker and is excellent at putting pressure on opponents and creating turnovers. However, Domi and Roberston are both sneaky good in this category, ranking third and fourth in the Maple Leafs in takeaways per 60 minutes, while McMann ranks second.
Offensively, all of these guys have flaws, but their strengths complement each other. McMann is not the best playmaker, and his shot doesn't blow you away, but he is excellent at getting into high-danger areas on the ice, which makes him an asset to whoever he is playing with. Domi and Robertson are where we see the flaws complement each other.
Domi is an excellent puck handler and passer; he is just allergic to shooting the puck; while Robertson loves to shoot the puck, he struggles to create his chances on his own. Having both Robertson and McMann on the ice will open up Domi's game, as both excel at getting into open space off the puck to get a shot off. Then Domi's passing should benefit Robertson, as he has yet to get consistent time on a line with someone who sees the ice as well as Domi.
I am still waiting to say the Maple Leafs have solved their offensive issues, but this new-look third line has provided a lot of hope in the first two games we have seen from them. If they continue performing like this, the Maple Leafs will be extremely tough to beat.
All Stats via NaturalStatTrick