Maple Leafs left searching for offence amid identity shift
The Maple Leafs are managing an identity crisis: Under the former coach, one thing was certain: Toronto had no trouble scoring goals in the regular season. Now, they’ve managed two goals or fewer in six of their 13 contests.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs are managing an identity crisis.
Under the former coach — for all the team’s wild swings and fatal flaws — one thing was certain: The Maple Leafs had no trouble scoring goals in the regular season.
Toronto trotted the Eastern Conference’s most dangerous collection of scorers throughout the entire Sheldon Keefe regime, averaging 3.52 goals per game over the past five seasons.
Because that offence dried up at the most important time, however, GM Brad Treliving purposely tried a different tack over the off-season.
He hired a coach that prioritizes defence and did the same with his spendy acquisitions of dependable blueliners Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Perhaps the assumption was that the goals would keep pouring in. Or perhaps the thinking was that they’d be fine winning a chunk of 2-1 games if it meant developing a safer, more playoff-friendly path to victory.
Well, the Maple Leafs lost a 2-1 decision Sunday (in overtime) to a solid Minnesota Wild squad and have now managed two goals or fewer in six of their 13 contests.
“Obviously not high scoring, but that’s OK. I think we want to get comfortable playing in those games,” Morgan Rielly told reporters in St. Paul. “It’s unfortunate we don’t get the extra point, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
Certainly, there were positives to be gleaned from swiping a point on the road against a worthy opponent coming in tired off a back-to-back and a blown lead in St. Louis.
Starter Anthony Stolarz reasserted his status as the No. 1 goalie, turning away 31 of 33 shots and holding fort as the Leafs successfully killed off all three penalties and faced the lion’s share of high-danger chances (11-7).
The beleaguered power-play got on the board, and the Leafs fulfilled their duties in the D-zone, outhitting the Wild 30-22 and blocking 24 shots to Minnesota’s eight.
“We committed really hard to playing a heavy game and blocking shots and trying to eliminate their scoring chances,” Stolarz said. “This is a good team, and their record (8-1-2) shows it.”
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The Maple Leafs’ own record (6-5-2) is indicative of a group still figuring itself out.
No doubt, Stolarz has been solid in the pipes, the team is clamping down better in front of its own crease, and last season’s troublesome penalty kill is taking steps in the right direction.
Yet the offensive creativity and video-game-like explosions of goals that were once the trademark of this crew have been muted.
In a season where save percentages are in steep decline — a trend that has surprisingly yet to benefit Toronto much — the Maple Leafs now drop to 17th overall in goals per game (3.0), a 15-position plummet from where they finished 2023-24.
Besides the much-discussed power play struggles, a major reason is the absence of a second wave of scoring.
Nick Robertson has a total of one garbage-time goal, and that’s one more goal than forwards Max Domi, Ryan Reaves, David Kämpf, and Pontus Holmberg have combined.
Calle Järnkrok scored 20 during his first season as a Leaf, but he’s been injured all season — and his return is not imminent. Tyler Bertuzzi ripped 21 last season, but now he’s busy scoring clutch goals for Chicago.
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Sure, the Maple Leafs’ high-end stars are all generating chances and making their mark. But on a night like Sunday, the Leafs could use some contributions from down the lineup.
And when it’s not there, you simply shrug and are happy to keep things tight.
“Good point,” Berube said of the low-event overtime loss.
Heck, the coach is happy to keep pace in the standings on a night where his skaters couldn’t muster a single goal at even strength.
The Maple Leafs fly home for a day off Monday before facing a divisional rematch against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday.
Fox’s Fast Five
• Auston Matthews, the defending Maurice Richard Trophy winner is 13 games in and tied league-wide for 49th in goals (five). An offensive breakout is coming, right?
• Positive note: The Maple Leafs’ struggling power play snapped its 0-for-19 drought against Minnesota’s 30th-ranked penalty kill.
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William Nylander one-timed a pretty Matthews pass to tie the game in the final minute of the first period and secure a standings point in a game where Toronto got blanked 5-on-5.
Interestingly, the strike came on a stacked five-forward first unit, with Matthew Knies going net front and replacing defenceman Morgan Rielly.
“It’s good for the confidence, just to see one go in,” Matthews said. “Hopefully that gets us rolling.”
• The Maple Leafs are the third-best faceoff team in hockey: 55.7 per cent.
• The Leafs assigned defenceman Jani Hakanpää (knee) and forward Connor Dewar (shoulder) to the AHL this weekend on a long-term injured reserve conditioning loan. Dewar scored a goal and tacked on an assist in the Marlies’ 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Monsters on Saturday.
Because Toronto’s active NHL roster is maxed out at 23 skaters, a couple bodies must go for Dewar and Hakanpää to dress for the Leafs.
The easiest solution is waiving fourth-pair defencemen Philippe Myers and Matt Benning, but GM Brad Treliving is exploring trade destinations for the veteran Benning, who was acquired in the Timothy Liljegren trade and carries a $1.25-million cap hit through 2025-26.
• Hey, by the way, how did Liljegren fare in his Sharks debut?
He skated 16:57, fifth-most among Sharks defencemen, quarterbacked the top power play unit, and finished a team-high plus-2 in a 3-2 loss to the Canucks.
