What’s working and what wants work? Early positives, issues for Maple Leafs

TORONTO — Just 4 video games into the Toronto Maple Leafs’ season, it may be powerful to parse randomness from reality. The crew is operating out a gaggle that’s seen as a lot turnover as any within the NHL, pre-season has been minimize all the way down to about three laborious laps and a pull-up (which they’re not allowed to measure), and also you don’t even know the power of the opponents you’re dealing with. 

But, hey, look: that’s not gonna cease me from making an attempt. 

With a file of 2-2-0, we’ve seen sufficient of the Leafs to say there’s been quite a lot of optimistic indicators and some flashing alarms. Let’s get into these with three up and three down.

Auston Matthews: One factor no person disagreed about heading into this season was the sentiment, “If the Leafs are going to get back to being a playoff team, Auston Matthews needs to be closer to peak Matthews than the guy we saw under Craig Berube.”

Through 4 video games, and together with his most up-to-date displaying in opposition to Nashville as our backdrop right here, he appears to be like just like the forceful model of himself but once more. While the factors didn’t come within the first few video games, he was a part of a line that managed the play, they held on to pucks within the O-zone and created alternatives on the web. The numbers for his line with Kirill Marchenko and Jack Roslovic have been excellent, rating third (based on MoneyPuck) in anticipated targets proportion amongst teams who’ve spent at the very least 20 minutes collectively:

For Leafs followers, I minimize it off at seven so you might see one other vivid spot there, which leads me to the following level.

Overall ahead talent: Through 4 video games, Jack Roslovic has three factors and 10 pictures, and clearly has the velocity and talent to play with good gamers. It’s not that I believe he’s some vital needle-mover in the long term — he makes some hope passes I don’t love, and traditionally slows down because the video games get tougher — however he’s a transparent improve on the gamers they’ve usually had exterior the massive names.

More than that, although, we noticed what Gavin McKenna is able to in opposition to Nashville, and it’s not simply the factors. He was making extra small, expert performs that hold the puck transferring someplace harmful for the Leafs, and so they missed guys together with his sort of imaginative and prescient final 12 months. He’s simply one other man who can create one thing from nothing.

Then there’s that Easton Cowan-Nick Paul-Colton Sissons group above, who’ve been extremely efficient at forechecking and successful pucks again, to say nothing of their means to create as soon as they’ve acquired it. Both Cowan and Paul might comfortably slot in increased within the lineup when the necessity arises, and for some years the Leafs have been mild on guys exterior the highest few who might actually make one thing occur.

Darren Raddysh’s match: Raddysh’s first sport as a Leaf was an abject mess, as he completely couldn’t make a breakout cross. By his personal admission, he had nerves being with the Leafs, a crew he grew up watching together with his dad, whom he misplaced earlier this 12 months. He was feeling some stress. 

But because the video games have gone on, it’s clear that he’s the match they hoped he’d be. He’s acquired 11 pictures in 4 video games and leads the NHL in “shots between 90-100 m.p.h.,” with six (the following highest is three). 

He’s additionally simply acquired a greater sense of distributing on the facility play, he’s regular in extra time and, general, they’re simply actually counting on him. He leads the Leafs in TOI per sport at 23:15 (to good outcomes), which is over three minutes greater than their subsequent most-used D-man (Morgan Rielly). They’d be in large bother with out him again there. 

Aging D-corps appears to be like … aged: The Leafs are fortunate to have Chris Tanev again, a man who was arguably their finest D-man in his first 12 months with the crew. They want his management. After a lacking most of final 12 months and never getting any youthful, he nonetheless appears to be like … largely good. Granted, it looks as if he’s nonetheless rediscovering his stride, and a few of his dependable breakout passes haven’t been as strong as regular, and it’s attainable he received’t fairly stay as much as that first-year customary.

Past Tanev, although, you’ve acquired Oliver Ekman-Larsson not being fairly as efficient as he’s appeared up to now (he’s sixth of six in TOI amongst Leafs D) and Jake McCabe not being tremendous seen, and immediately a D-corps that went into the 12 months seeming “mostly steady” has appeared shakier than they’d like. 

The crew, to me, has the texture of a gaggle with firepower and forechecking up entrance, the kind that would win numerous video games once they get to the suitable half of the rink. But it’s hinging on the again finish holding up, and I’m involved about the way it’s going to go because the season will get on and accidents present up. They want one other D who can deal with actual minutes together with Raddysh. Troy Stetcher — who is ok, serviceable — is taking part in nearly 18 minutes an evening, which isn’t an awesome signal in regards to the effectiveness of the remainder of the group.

The spot at 2C: John Tavares is numerous good issues. He’s on an affordable contract and contemporary off a sport the place he scored them an enormous aim that began their rally again from down 3-0 within the season’s first “must win” (of many, I’m certain). He’s a tough employee and nice finisher and all these good issues. But he’s additionally older, and was by no means quick, and has struggled to remain efficient amidst the tempo of at this time’s sport at five-on-five. Last 12 months, he struggled there too, and in order a lot because the Leafs don’t wish to insult the man, they must be lifelike about how he can finest assist them. 

McKenna would do properly to play with Paul, who’s nonetheless efficient at successful pucks and tilting the ice in his crew’s favour. He can get a line within the O-zone, and flipping him and JT in all probability will get William Nylander and McKenna on offence extra, the place Paul can get to the web and end what probabilities they create on the web. 

If you wish to take it additional, you might have Sissons transfer to centre and have Tavares play wing with him and Cowan, simply as one random instance. The level is, so long as the Leafs have Tavares at 2C, they’re going to lose the anticipated targets (and, in flip, actual targets) battle. It’s a spot of weak spot, and one they don’t have to sit down idly by and watch once they have choices. Let Tavares eat on the facility play, and get some softer matchups (and skate much less) at five-on-five.

The schedule: It would’ve been good for the Leafs to go on the highway whereas they kind issues out within the early going, get to know one another higher within the motels and at crew meals, and never take care of the expectations out of the gate. 

Instead, McKenna instantly felt the burden of the every day media, they misplaced a pair divisional video games at dwelling and, as groups get their ft beneath them, they now go into Vegas, Colorado and Utah. 

None of it’s insurmountable, it’s only a small “down” a part of the season. 

That’s not unhealthy so far as downs go: the teaching has been superb to good as they confirmed a willingness to make modifications in Game 4, which labored. The goaltending has been mid-pack and saved them in each sport. The fourth line has been serviceable, taking part in laborious and killing penalties. In all, for 2-2-0, it’s been a reasonably good begin for the Leafs. 

The upcoming highway journey will check them, and their participant utilization will evolve, however within the early going, there are clear indicators they’ve acquired much more to work with than they did final season.