All things being considered, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in a pretty good place. That being first place in the Atlantic Division, and somewhere in the top 7 or 8 teams of the overall NHL standings. However, it’s clear to those following that something is not quite right with this team.
Injuries have certainly taken their toll, with John Tavares and Anthony Stolarz currently on the shelf, and Jake McCabe and Auston Matthews only recently returning to active duty. But there’s more than just pulled muscles impacting the play of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
New coach Craig Berube has placed more emphasis on north-south play and defensive responsibility than we’ve seen in past years, and that has certainly had an effect as players get used to different expectations. Joseph Woll and Stolarz (when they have been healthy) have both had to adjust to playing more than they’re accustomed to.
Up front, Matthew Knies has greatly increased his scoring output over his rookie season, but still struggles to play at a consistently high level. Max Domi has been allergic all year to scoring. Nick Robertson has been hot and cold. David Kamp and Pontus Holmberg have been invisible. On the other hand, Mitch Marner is having a career year, and before Tavares got hurt, he was playing well beyond expectations.
The blue line, similar to past years, has looked horrible on paper, but has somehow managed (most nights, at least) to not be as bad as expected. McCabe (when healthy) has paired with new acquisition Chris Tanev to form a great shutdown pairing. Offsetting that, the Toronto Maple Leafs keep rolling out lineups that include several of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Conor Timmins, Simon Benoit, and Phillippe Myers.
How Can The Toronto Maple Leafs Get Their Mojo Back?
What would help to get the ship sailing in the right direction on a more consistent basis? Here are three things that would certainly help: