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.

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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3. Depth Scoring remains an issue

With Bertuzzi off the second line, the Leafs don't have the same top-of-the-lineup scoring power they had last year, especially with Tavares on the third line.

And while theoretically Tavares and Robertson can bring some nice depth scoring to the third line, the problem is that Simon Benoit is a shut-down defender who doesn't play shut-down minutes, which means he plays with the guys who need to provide depth scoring, but he is so bad at moving the puck that he prevents his team from playing any offense when he's on the ice.

Another problem is the fourth line. David Kampf and Ryan Reaves bring negative scoring ability to the team, and so they can't very well address their depth issues when they have one line and one defensive pairing that pretty much make it impossible to score.

It's nice to see Knies and McMann potentially breaking out, but they'll be lucky to equal what Bertuzzi and Tavares were bringing to the top of the lineup, meaning that the net offense here is worse than it was last year, when it got them eliminated from the playoffs.

4. Defense is too old, lacks a high-end option

This is obvious to anyone who enjoyed the mini OEL renaissance that we saw to start the season. Ekman-Larsson is 33 and unlikely to continue playing as a high-end defender, but his early season performance highlighted exactly what the Leafs have been missing for so long.

OEL was driving play, putting up points, racking up shots, and even throwing big hits. He looked 23 for the season's first week. And hey, who knows, maybe he's that rare player who can reverse his decline and have a solid career in his 30s.

But he for sure will not continue to perform like a number-one defenseman. The Leafs however, desperately need one. If you could push everyone on the blue-line down one spot, this would be a great blue-line.

As it is, it's old, lacks high-end talent, is an extreme injury risk, and its only going to get worse because the team is on the verge of re-signing Jake McCabe, even though it's extremely dumb to invest long-term in four defenseman whose ages are 31-35.

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