Earlier today, we explored the Maple Leafs’ improvements on special teams and at five-on-five in their recent 7-0-2 run back into the playoff mix.
Before the Maple Leafs kick off a big road stretch tonight in Colorado, let’s jump into the Notes, Quotes, Tweets of the Week, and Five Things I Think I’d Do.
Notes
– I’m fascinated by the Matias Maccelli – John Tavares – William Nylander line. It is not the winger profile we are used to seeing excel alongside Tavares and Nylander, a pair that has always been effectively complemented by a good forechecker who could do the proverbial dirty work to facilitate their skill. That is not Maccelli’s game at all. Further, Nylander wants the puck on his stick all the time, and Maccelli also holds onto the puck a lot.
Logically, it’s not a great fit, and it remains to be seen how they will fare against better-checking teams, but the line has been effective so far. In just over 90 minutes together, they’re up 9-6 in goals and are creating/carrying a ton of offense (61% of the expected goals, to go along with just under 55% of shot attempts overall). They are fed offensive-zone starts — and Berube is hunting favourable matchups for them — but they are creating and producing, and the coach can’t entirely shelter them, either.
Nylander hasn’t really played with a linemate like Maccelli, a crafty passer who can hold onto pucks and make plays. Maccelli is not exactly a speedster, nor is he one to really drive the net. Still, they have played well off of each other as two skilled players who can make high-end plays with the puck. Tavares isn’t exactly quick to get to spots, but he’ll go to the net and work the walls to round out the trio offensively.
The proof-of-concept will require a longer stretch, including against better competition. Against Florida, even though Nylander wasn’t dressed, Maccelli was one of the best players on the ice. Since he was re-inserted into the lineup following a string of healthy scratches, Maccelli has eight points in 11 games, with three coming on the power play.
– In his three games since returning from injury, Brandon Carlo has averaged 19:03 per game, picked up an assist, threw a big hit on Jake DeBrusk, and was pivotal in a 5-on-2.5 (Simon Benoit lost his stick) penalty kill against the Flyers that the Leafs successfully killed (before immediately tying the game after). He also laid some big blocks on a successful 4v3 kill, which the Leafs immediately scored afterward to effectively ice the game. He’s up 3-0 in five-on-five goals.
Carlo not only looks like he’s moving a bit better physically, but it also seems to have gone to his confidence so far. He’s made some effective outlet passes instead of just hammering pucks off the boards. Carlo will never throw up flashy point totals, but when he makes it tough on the opposition to get inside, effectively kills penalties with his length, and calms the game down with a steady hand in general, he’s the defenseman the Leafs need him to be. His return has already paid dividends, and hopefully, like Scott Laughton, Carlo’s slow start to his Leafs career is now behind him.
– It’s hard to overstate the significance of the Leafs’ 5v3 penalty kill against the Flyers. They were down 1-0 late in the game, with their third-string goalie in the net, their best penalty-killing tandem on defense (Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev) out of the lineup, and one of their other best PK defensemen (Troy Stecher) in the box. They bared down to get out of it and give the team a chance to win the game.
– Of note, Scott Laughton also saved a goal with about 3:50 left in the game against Florida with an active stick in the slot. That would have made it 3-2 with plenty of time left, but it’s quickly forgotten when the team survives it and wins 4-1. It was nice to see the Leafs put together some closing units in the game. Laughton played 3:10 of the final 4:02 to close out the win, as he’d join John Tavares on the ice for faceoffs. The empty-netter came with a unit of McMann, Matthews, and Roy on the ice — three big, strong forwards who take up a ton of space.
– Laughton’s monster 19-for-20 effort in the faceoff circle against Philly rightfully received a lot of attention. He has been a monster in the faceoff circle in general since arriving in Toronto after a 12-year run of fairly middling results on the dot in Philly. In 661 games with the Flyers, he won just 49.7% of his draws, and he topped out at a single-season high of 54.2%. Since arriving in Toronto, it has shot right up; in 20 games last season, he won 54.7%. In 26 games this season, he’s at 62.3%. As a Leaf, he’s won 60.2% overall in his 46 games.
Years ago, as Matthews’ game began to mature and Tavares came on board, the Leafs employed Manny Malhotra — an excellent faceoff man in his playing days — on their staff. When Malhotra eventually departed, I was curious to see whether his departure would negatively impact the faceoff results, as the Leafs finished 10th-1st-4th-4th in the category during his four seasons on the Leafs bench. Since Malhotra left, the Leafs finished second last season and now rank first. Obviously, personnel matters, but the Leafs have figured out faceoffs.
– Nic Roy is also winning a career high 54.3% right now. He has never finished above 48.8% in a full season. These are massive leaps for already established and experienced players.
Quotes
“I feel like we all complement each other very well. We’re all hard workers. We’re just getting to the right areas. We’re all staying within 5 feet and making quick give-and-goes, and that’s how my goal started there: everyone made a good play. Moving your feet, getting to open ice — I feel like we’re all doing a good job of that.”
– Easton Cowan on why his line with Nic Roy and Nick Robertson has clicked
I liked this comment from Easton Cowan, specifically the part about staying within five feet of each other on the ice. In the first period against the Flyers, his line created a nice sequence where Nick Robertson spun and cycled it to Cowan in the corner of the offensive zone, where Cowan picked it up and found Nic Roy in the slot for a nice deflection. On the goal Cowan referenced against the Panthers, Cowan moved up the ice alongside Roy, cut back, and effectively crossed with Robertson for a backdoor tap-in.
The trio is doing a good job of staying compact and working off each other in close quarters. Once they create space, all three of them have enough skill to make things happen. When we’ve seen the Leafs struggling this season, it’s often because they’re too spaced out from one another.
“We were giving up way too many odd-man rushes, we weren’t really collectively coming up the ice together, and we were spending too much time in our zone. We made a couple of tweaks here and there in our d zone and neutral zone, and I think that’s really helped us, and then guys are starting to play together. You get a little bit of confidence, and it goes a long way. Guys are starting to feel it on their stick a little bit, and I think from there, it’s kind of flowed the last two weeks. We played well in Dallas, and then it really started to turn. We got to keep it going; it’s a tight race, and every point is crucial, but we got to keep this thing going until the break.”
– Scott Laughton on what has turned aorund for the team lately
“We’ve talked about Matthews and what the difference is. That’s the big difference for me: getting the puck in the middle of the ice and attacking from the middle of the ice.”
– Craig Berube
Reducing odd-man rushes against, moving through the neutral zone cleanly, and using the middle of the ice have all been referenced by the players and coach recently. Getting healthy has been really important, of course, but they have made all sorts of tweaks and changes. The most obvious, publicly visible change was the dismissal of Marc Savard, of course.
Berube deserved the criticism early on for how discombobulated and disorganized the team was, and he deserves some recognition for making real adjustments. This certainly isn’t a case of “same product, only healthier.”
“You can just see everybody is like… I call it a pack of wolves. Get in there, and stick up for your teammates and the goalie. Cowboy was in there. It’s good. We’re tight right now, and we gotta keep being tight.”
– Craig Berube on defending Joseph Woll in the crease against Vancouver
This feels like a different team than the one that started the season, when Anthony Stolarz was publicly frustrated after taking a series of knocks in the crease, opponents took liberties with Cowan with no response, Nikita Zadorov knocked multiple Leafs out of the game, and the Leafs weren’t engaged when confronted in general. The Leafs bullied the Devils a week ago, they were physical against Florida, and they roughed up the Canucks.
There are some small examples as well, like the one against the Flyers when Cowan took a pretty good hit from Noah Juulsen. It wasn’t a hit that demanded a fight response, but he tagged Cowan pretty good, and as the play continued, Robertson ran the next Flyer to touch the puck. It sounds like a small thing, but that should be the response: if you go after our guy, we return the favour.
The Leafs went out of their way to respond against Eetu Loustarainen after a bad hit on Laughton, but he shied away instead of stepping up. It doesn’t always have to be some massive response, but teammates need to support and stand up for each other. I don’t know how the team would handle a big-time fighter — the Leafs don’t have one on the roster — but the physical response and engagement have improved of late.
Tweets of the Week
#LeafsForever Matthew Knies is the 4th player with 50+ goals, 75+ assists & 400+ hits in his first 200 career games (tracked since 2005-06):
Alex Ovechkin
Jamie Benn
Gabriel Landeskog
Matthew Knies pic.twitter.com/2hlAOQqkpQ— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 7, 2026
While it’s important to note that this stat has only been tracked for the past 20 years—not the entire history of the NHL—this is still fairly significant company for Matthew Knies to keep.
It is very easy to forget that he’s still only 23 years old and this is only his third full season in the league. He’s only made 202 regular-season appearances, and his game is very much still growing. We’ve spent some time discussing his weight and speed fluctuating, but that’s usually what happens with young players as they develop into their bodies, until they find the sweet spot.
It's really nice to see Roy rounding into form lately here.
Over his last 20 games, he has 13 points (above his career average) and the Leafs are crushing his minutes at 5v5, outscoring teams 14-6.
This is in heavy defensive usage too, with just a 26% Offensive Zone Faceoff %.
— Willyston Riellander (@nylanderthews) January 9, 2026
Nic Roy has seen his production steadily increase each month so far this season. He produced three points in the 11 October games, four in the 11 November games, seven in the 14 December games, and now three in the five January games. Unsurprisingly, the increase in production mirrors his usage; he started the season by playing with Steven Lorentz in a checking role during Laughton’s absence, then paired up with Dakota Joshua, eventually joined Bobby McMann on what turned into a solid matchup line, and now he’s centering two skilled players in Nick Robertson and Easton Cowan. He’s doing a lot of heavy lifting in terms of working the walls and dirty areas for his two younger linemates with his size and reach.
The Robertson-Roy-Cowan trio hasn’t even played 60 minutes together yet. We’ll see how they respond to a tough stretch on the road — I don’t want to read too much into it yet — but they create chances every night, they’re up 2-0 in goals, and they’ve actually taken more defensive-zone faceoffs than offensive-zone ones, as the coaching staff hasn’t entirely sheltered them.
Roy has been effective in a few different roles, with entirely different linemates, and we’re only halfway through the season. While his overall possession and scoring chance numbers are down, he has taken just 25.39% of his faceoffs in the offensive zone. In his career, he has been under 43% only once, and it was the only other season when his team was outshot during his minutes.
More of a two-way role alongside some skilled players — one that shades towards more offensive utility rather than a checking unit — appears to suit Roy better, and that’s more than fine if the recent run is indicative of his contributions going forward.
Also stopped by my son's school in the East End, pretty cool! https://t.co/gJ6rTWuPiS
— Justin Bourne (@jtbourne) January 9, 2026
Yesterday's Bobby McMann arrival for game in Toronto…tremendous gesture pic.twitter.com/N78LIgdUSW
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) January 11, 2026
Some fans might not care about this stuff — and that’s fine — but to me, these are important community contributions from members of the Maple Leafs, especially the captain. The Leafs are a meaningful part of the city and the surrounding areas. They are intertwined with the community at large, whether they like it or not. It is a real responsibility, and it is important that they’re invested in representing the Leafs well on and off the ice. Whether it’s making kids’ day at a school/public space or recognizing a member of the community, it’s nice to see actions like this from players on the team. A lot of people care about them. You like to see it reciprocated, too.
Five Things I Think I’d Do
1. I think I understand the consternation around bumping Bobby McMann off the top line and onto what’s effectively the fourth line. Still, I understand why the coaching staff is doing it for now.
McMann has been playing great—he led the team in goals last month! — and the top line was in part rejuvenated due to McMann’s speed, but the unfortunate reality for McMann is that he’s the team’s best fit to play alongside Laughton and Lorentz in a matchup role, short of moving Nic Roy to their right wing, which would cause a deeper issue down the middle of the ice. McMann has already filled this role earlier this season with Roy and Joshua, and he’s a good defender who brings some speed and offensive juice to what’s a really important line for the Leafs.
Scott Laughton‘s line soaking up tough minutes allows the Roy line to focus on a scoring role, and it borrows easier matchup shifts for the Auston Matthews line rather than running them head-to-head all night. McMann is sort of a victim of his own all-around skillset in a sense, but he is the best fit to take on the role. It’s obviously not any of Maccelli, Nylander, Cowan, Domi, or Robertson. You could maybe argue Matthew Knies could play this role, but I wouldn’t start by putting the player with 38 points in 41 games on the Laughton line over the one with 23 in 43. And if the Leafs keep Calle Jarnkrok in the lineup to play on the fourth line, they’re sitting one of their 12 best forwards to dress their 13th-best forward.
There is no easy choice, but I get the strategy at play.
2. I think it’s worth keeping in mind that we’re now having these kinds of lineup debates, instead of the ones from past years about who should flank David Kampf and Ryan Reaves on the fourth line.
This is also facilitated by Auston Matthews playing a lot better recently. When Matthews was struggling, and Berube felt the need to load up his top line to get the captain going, the Leafs’ depth took a real hit. They couldn’t build two, three, or four lines that other teams would stress about. When Matthews is a line-driving force, especially while he’s flanked by players such as McMann and Domi, the Leafs can viably consider placing Nylander and Knies on separate lines. They have four veteran centers and good support players to help supplement and drive each line (Robertson, Roy, Cowan, Maccelli, Tavares, etc.). It’s not only about Matthews producing offense, but how dominant play from #34 can really open up all sorts of interesting possibilities with the lineup at large.
3. It will be interesting to track how Bobby McMann’s ice time is managed as part of this lineup situation. From when the Leafs started their current run in Pittsburgh until he moved to the fourth line against Vancouver, McMann has averaged 17:19 per game, which is actually second among all Leafs forwards in that span (Matthews is first, obviously).
McMann has been really good and a big part of the team’s success. Against Vancouver, he played just 12:48, easily his lowest in this timeframe. Only once did he play less than 16:47 — 14:18 in the game where the Leafs easily handled New Jersey.
The Vancouver game is a tough one to judge because it was effectively over after the first period, so I’m not going to jump to conclusions on it, but it’s going to be easy to lose McMann on the fourth line, ice time-wise, and he deserves top-six minutes. Whether it’s moving him up to the top line on occasion, an extra shift at the end of a penalty kill as the game transitions to five-on-five (the coaching staff did give him a PK shift against Vancouver), or even moving him beside Tavares and Nylander for the odd shift, McMann shouldn’t be playing less than 15 minutes per game, at a bare minimum.
4. With Jake McCabe back in the lineup, I think I’d really prefer to see a right-shot defenseman paired with him in a shutdown role. This is the pairing that’s playing against the opponent’s best, and every edge matters. The coach and everyone else have admitted that Oliver Ekman-Larsson isn’t as effective on the right (which is to be expected). Are they really going to ask him to do it — and do it against top lines night in and night out?
McCabe and Troy Stecher were up 13-4 in five-on-five goals together and carried the high-danger opportunities in a matchup role. I’m not sure why they needed to move away from it. The only way I would shake it up is to run McCabe with Brandon Carlo instead.
I’m not sold on the current pairings at all and would still focus primarily on playing McCabe alongside a righty and getting OEL back on the left, where he has excelled.
5. I think this two-and-a-half-week stretch coming up will go a long way toward deciding the Leafs’ regular-season finish. It’s a really big stretch, and they need to emerge from it within reaching distance of a playoff spot.
With games Monday (Colorado), Tuesday (Utah), Thursday (Vegas), and Saturday (Winnipeg) this week, I would start Woll-Hildeby-Woll-Hildeby. It’s a quick turnaround for Joseph Woll on Monday, but he is their guy, and they’re facing the best team in the league. Woll was also unbelievable against the Avalanche last season in a big win.
Woll should take the Colorado start, and I’d definitely want him playing against Vegas. Dennis Hildeby has shown well enough so far that they should feel comfortable handing him two starts in a week, which gives Woll some solid rest ahead of another big week.
