When the Leafs lost Mitch Marner we all knew there would be certain setbacks. For starters, they didn’t have another prime option to QB the 1st powerplay unit. Marner did an excellent job there, despite some wanting to believe otherwise based on their opinion of the person, not the player. The question I have now is if the Leafs’ powerplay was simply falling off anyway, or do they look this disjointed because they need reinforcements and/or a new strategy in place? I am willing to point out that after just two games, 4 powerplays and a total of 6:40 TOI, there’s nothing to indicate that anybody should hit the panic button. However, after finishing 1st (2022), 2nd (2023), 7th (2024) and 9th (2025) in powerplay efficiency in the NHL over the past four seasons, it would be nice to get some type of indication that the powerplay is still a treat to score.
I won’t dive deeply into the fact that the powerplay is -1 on the season, after allowing a short handed goal against in the season opener. These things happen, but I will say that the drop pass isn’t working wonders for the powerplay and the soft play from the teams stars that lead to that goal is unacceptable. It’s obvious that they are over the fact that they were embarrassed (or maybe only the fans were?) to end the season against the Florida Panthers last spring and have decided that changing their ways isn’t in the cards. This, unfortunately, is not their year and it’s sad to say that you can see it from the outset of the season.
In short, if the powerplay is to be successful and the teams chances at making noise in the playoffs are going to change, it will have to happen via a change in mindset from Auston Matthews and William Nylander, in particular. Yes, both players are going to rack up points during the season, but no, it’s not just scoring points that wins you a Stanley Cup. You need to play with a certain level of “Fuck You!!” that we’ve never seen from these stars and the proof was evident during a scrum against Detroit on Saturday. After the whistle blew and tempers flared, every Toronto player chose a man and became involved except for their captain, who simply glided to the bench without a care in the world. Talk about playing from whistle to whistle.
I have to wonder, has he checked out years before his Toronto departure, like his buddy did before him? Is he going through the motions until his time to leave also comes? If that’s the case then I would hope that he’d man up and pull the plug now, because he isn’t doing the organization, the city, the fans or himself any favours by playing like he did on Saturday,
With that in mind, I’ll be keeping an eye on them during today’s Detroit rematch to see if they can prove me wrong in any way.
I’ll also keep an eye on Easton Cowan, as he is slated to make his NHL debut this afternoon and, sans pressure with the team coming off a loss, he’s penciled in on the 1st line alongside Matthews and Knies. My hope? He can get off to a roaring start, build confidence and remain on that line for the year while challenging for the Calder Trophy. My expectation? He’s a young man with a bright future, but my expectations are low at the moment because, as I have already stated, his teammates can barely manage to wake up for the game. At times like these it’s your veterans that are supposed to insulate your rookies, which is probably why Craig Berube wanted to ease Cowan into the NHL on a line with Steve Lorentz and Scott Laughton, but as it stands the team is looking for a winger that can elevate Auston Matthews’ game.
Talk about putting the kid in a position to fail.
With Cowan drawing in on the top line, it’s expected that Max Domi will remain as their 3rd line centre. That line will look familiar to fans, as Bobby McMann and Nicholas Robertson will be on his flanks. I still believe the chemistry they had last season was overblown, but here we are, looking at much the same lineup as last season.
It’s beyond concerning that an injury to the teams 4th line centre (Scott Laughton) has had so much effect on the rest of the lineup, especially considering that David Kampf is still an option to jump into Laughton’s spot on the roster. While it’s obvious that Kampf has regressed, it’s also a little strange to see just how little Berube appears to trust him as an NHL centre.
It’s expected that Anthony Stolarz, who has been the teams best player so far this season, will get the start this afternoon, with Cayden Primeau, who was plucked off waivers last week, getting his 1st start as a Toronto Maple Leaf tomorrow against the Nashville Predators.
Enjoy the game!!