The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a great start, but....

The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to such a great start that people have already started to try and dunk on summer-time criticisms made of the team.

I am a huge supporter of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and though I have been critical of them for not putting the team in the best position to win during Auston Matthews' prime, I could not be more excited for their hot start.

But....

Let's keep in mind that Sheldon Keefe left the only team he ever coached as the winningest coach in NHL history by points-percentage with a minimum of 300 games coached. That means that, more or less, the Leafs were the best team in the NHL during the the five years Keefe coached them.

We all know the success that Keefe had in the playoffs during that otherwise amazing and historical run and therefore, I would say that every single thing that was said about the Leafs in the summer is still valid.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a great start, but....

For example:

The Toronto Maple Leafs do not have an elite top-of-the-lineup defenseman, and this limits how good they can be. At best, without a significant blue-line addition, the Leafs blue-line is in the middle of the league. They are extremely average and old.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is off to a great start in his Leafs career, but the last three years of his career suggest that he won't be able to continue this level because, in general, 33 year olds get worse, not better.

Max Domi is not a centre. The Leafs have found a solid second line with McMann-Domi-Nylander, but it's just so bad defensively it doesn't seem like its a long term winner. I could be wrong, because all three are very talented, but I think this is a line that opposing teams will figure out.

Domi needs to play with Matthews, as for 20% of last season they scored at a preposterous four points per 60 pace that can't be ignored forever. The farther and better the Leafs do without this, it's like having a bonus trump card you can pull out anytime.

The early season success is nice, but Marner and Matthews should be split up regardless of how good October goes. It's a long season and its been obvious for a long time that Marner does better when he can be the man on his own line and doesn't have to feel like he needs to pass to Matthews on every play.

Finally, Domi just not a centre. Full stop. He's better on the winger and the Leafs desperately need a quality 3C if they want to move from the group of solid contenders into the elite stratosphere of best team in the NHL.

But, as long as the goaltending holds up, that's all they need. It won't be easy to get either of the two missing pieces but then again, why should it be easy to become the best team in hockey?