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What Is Obvious About the Toronto Maple Leafs After 8.5% of the Schedule

The Toronto Maple Leafs are 4-3 after seven games, and some things are becoming obvious.
ByJames Tanner|
Oct 21, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) shoots the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Oct 21, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews (34) shoots the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning during the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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What Is Obvious About the Toronto Maple Leafs After 8.5% of the Schedule

1. Centres are a problem

The Leafs have been using Max Domi as their second-line centre, and John Tavares on the third line. This is silly and won't / can't last - Tavares is just simply on another level than Max Domi and can only play behind him for so long.

It hurts the team to have Domi getting any minutes at centre. He's had a good start to the year, so I do have to give him credit for performing well, but his entire career says that he can't effectively play centre-ice minutes and be anything more than a replacement player.

That said, John Tavares might be better as a winger now that he's approaching middle age. When two of your three top centres are better as wingers, you have a problem.

Furthermore, Pontus Holmberg has been terrible and is not ready to be a top-nine player on an competitive NHL team. The Leafs regular fourth line centre, David Kampf, is not only the NHL's most expensive fourth liner, he's already been a healthy scratch.

For a team that wants to win the Stanley Cup and whose blue-line is already too old, the Toronto Maple Leafs centre-ice position is a mess.

2. Tyler Bertuzzi is missed and hasn't been replaced

Tyler Bertuzzi scored about 20 goals last year, but it's not just his offense that is missed. Bertuzzi was a play-driving monster who made everyone he played with better.

The Leafs were correct to choose Domi over Bertuzzi if they believed that what Domi did last year with Auston Matthews was the real deal. Since they are not even trying that this year, at least not so far, the choice seems pretty dumb in retrospect.

Bertuzzi is missed and wasn't replaced. The fact is, for everything Chris Tanev brings to the table, the Leafs aren't getting the improvement they should because the cost for bringing aboard was losing a player they have very little hope of replacing.

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