To wrap up our training camp battles series, we’ll look at the Maple Leafs’ special teams, which are set for fairly significant changes.
On paper, the Leafs were actually pretty good in this area last season. The power play finished 15th, while the penalty kill finished eighth. That’s certainly not world-beating, but finishing in the top half of the league with both units—even though the power play largely underachieved—was arguably one of the team’s biggest achievements last season.
Now, both units are expected to undergo significant changes. There is a brand-new coaching staff running them, for starters, followed by all sorts of new personnel.
Darren Raddysh isn’t just the first booming shot the Leafs have added to the point in the Auston Matthews era; he is also one of the only right shots to lead the unit, following the likes of Tyson Barrie and a few looks for Timothy Liljegren. That is to say nothing of integrating Gavin McKenna somewhere into the units, along with additional peripheral options such as Jack Roslovic and/or Nick Paul.
The penalty kill, despite generally producing results, gave up among the highest shot volume in the league but received the league’s best shorthanded save percentage. Jake McCabe led all Leafs in shorthanded ice time last season and returns, as does Steven Lorentz, who led all of their forwards in shorthanded ice time.
After that, though, the Leafs lost five of their next six shorthanded ice-time leaders from last season: Brandon Carlo, Simon Benoit, Calle Järnkrok, Nic Roy, and Scott Laughton. The other is Troy Stecher, who is battling to make the opening-night lineup at all.
With that, we will see personnel changes and structural changes. The ultimate question is whether we will see the results improve.
Who is on PP1?
Locks: Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Darren Raddysh
In the mix: John Tavares, Matthew Knies, Gavin McKenna
The competition
Let there be no doubt about this: Matthews, Nylander, and Raddysh are all PP1 locks. They are the team’s three highest-paid players, and all three have pedigree. None of them are going anywhere unless the Leafs decide to split the units entirely and run a 1A/1B setup. Over an 84-game season, it will probably reach a point where they should try it simply to change things up, but to start the season, they should run with their best.
Who exactly represents their best is up for some debate.
With Raddysh a lock to run the point, the debates are essentially between Knies and Tavares for some sort of net-front/down-low role, and whether McKenna forces his way onto the top unit early with his talent as a playmaker, given that nearly everyone else is primarily a shooter.
Tavares led the team in goals last season and finished second in points. He remains highly productive, owns a great shot, and has always been heavy and nifty down low.
Knies would represent the younger, emerging option in front. He is bigger than Tavares, harder to move, and probably a better finisher in tight at this point.
Toward the end of last season—when you would be forgiven for no longer watching—Steve Sullivan actually moved Knies away from the net, including placing him near the point, and he was surprisingly effective as more of a puck carrier. It is an interesting wrinkle to keep in mind, even though Sullivan is no longer running the unit.
Then there is McKenna, who is truthfully a complete wildcard. He could prove too dynamic with the puck to ignore, or he could need time before receiving the call to play with the top dogs. The one factor working in his favour is that he is a natural playmaker compared to everyone else. Matthews and Nylander have each recorded at least three 45-plus-assist seasons, so let’s not pretend they can’t pass, but ideally, both are shooters who are facilitated by others.
Another factor to consider is zone entries, an area where the Leafs were generally dreadful last season as they badly missed Mitch Marner. Raddysh is not solving that problem. If the Leafs use both Knies and Tavares on PP1, they are once again relying on Nylander and Matthews to sort it out, alongside what they hope is an improved structure—which they had under Sullivan and were much better with once he arrived. Maybe that structure is the solution, or maybe a high-end puck carrier with elite vision in McKenna has a path to playing a key role on the unit.
My take
While I generally default to easing McKenna in and having him work his way up the lineup, the power play is the one area where I think it might be too difficult to take that approach.
The Leafs lacked creativity last season, and there were stretches when playing Matias Maccelli on the top unit helped them simply move the puck better. McKenna is a supercharged version of that who could tee up three elite shooters in Matthews, Nylander, and Raddysh. I also think McKenna would really help their entries with his vision, hands, and shiftiness. Matthews, in particular, struggled badly in this area last season.
The Leafs wouldn’t need McKenna to drive the power play, per se, so I don’t think they would be asking too much of him in this role. I simply think his skill set is sorely needed as a puck carrier and playmaker.
That would leave one spot. While the argument for Tavares is fair, I would lean toward Knies, partly because I think Tavares would do well spearheading a second unit with Easton Cowan, one of Rielly or OEL, and players like Roslovic and Paul. He would add some real credibility to that unit.
I also like the younger Knies as a bit more of a playmaker down low and as a heavier player who is harder to move and whose game is still growing.
I don’t think Tavares’ faceoff ability is that significant of an advantage here—Matthews won 59.7 percent of his draws last season!—but it would be something to monitor.
Knies’ production has steadily increased over three seasons; he turns 24 in October, and he is a long-term part of this core through his prime years. I want to see him with the team’s top players.
Who plays on the half wall for both units?
In the mix: William Nylander, Auston Matthews, Gavin McKenna, Easton Cowan, John Tavares, Jack Roslovic
The competition
This competition probably isn’t as wide open as it appears, but it’s hard to say exactly who is a lock.
For example, the Leafs could place Nylander on the goal line as a right-shot option to handle passes and create plays across the crease or through the back door. They could also move Matthews closer to the net rather than serving as a half-wall facilitator.
We don’t even technically know who will be on either unit. In a scenario where Tavares or Knies is on the second unit, perhaps the Leafs would want the puck on their sticks more than on the stick of someone such as Roslovic.
Every player has a fair argument for the role. Matthews and Nylander have played there for years and have been elite at it at times. McKenna possesses elite hands and vision, while Cowan is a talented young player who has traditionally played the half wall.
Roslovic is the only other right-shot option capable of filling the role. Depending on how the Leafs align the units, that could matter, and he could almost receive the spot by default.
My take
Well, this largely depends on who is on the power play, of course.
In my scenario with McKenna on the top unit, Nylander would be a lock on one side, while McKenna and Matthews could rotate in and out on the opposite side.
It is a bit of a cop-out answer, but I also don’t envision Matthews largely standing around on the half wall anymore. He needs to move around, while McKenna should facilitate from the half wall at times, including by teeing up Raddysh.
While we don’t know exactly who will play on the second unit, I’m fairly confident that Cowan will be one of those options. He is talented, and the organization should remain highly invested in his development, even though McKenna is receiving a ton of attention right now. Cowan played the half wall in the OHL, filled the role for the Marlies, and has the skill and vision. I would want him to keep developing in that spot.
The opposite side is more debatable, but I would likely lean toward Roslovic as a right shot. If the Leafs don’t play McKenna on PP1, it would obviously be him instead.
If Knies or Tavares is on PP2, they are generally best in the middle of the ice—either in the bumper or at the net front—so Roslovic’s handedness really helps him here and makes it a fairly simple decision.
Again, all of this assumes the Leafs load up the top unit. Jim Hiller was here when they split the units previously, so it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if they tried it again. I simply wouldn’t take that approach, at least to start.
Which forward duos kill penalties?
Locks: Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, Colton Sissons
In the mix: Steven Lorentz, Dakota Joshua, Nick Paul, Matthew Knies
The competition
The Leafs went to great lengths to bring in several checking forwards during the offseason. Hopefully, that means the end of Matthews regularly killing penalties unless the team is trying to score. They don’t need to burn his minutes there.
It is fairly safe to assume that Duhaime, Blueger, and Sissons will all play on the penalty kill. They are accomplished in the role, all received multi-year contracts, and Blueger and Sissons are both experienced defensive-zone faceoff men. It would be stunning if all three weren’t regulars.
Which duos they form—and who else even plays on the penalty kill—is genuinely up for debate.
As mentioned, Lorentz led all Leafs forwards in shorthanded ice time last season. He is big and effective at getting into the correct lanes.
Joshua wasn’t a regular penalty killer for the Leafs last season, but a few years ago, he ranked second among Vancouver forwards in shorthanded ice time, behind Blueger. The Leafs could look to reunite that duo and pair Duhaime with Sissons.
Similarly, Paul was a regular penalty killer for Tampa Bay a few years ago, but his role steadily declined. I also included Knies here because the team has used him in the role before.
My take
I actually think the pairings are fairly simple and somewhat built-in.
The Leafs have a Blueger–Joshua pairing with established familiarity. They can pair Sissons with Duhaime, and then they can use a third unit of Paul with Knies or Lorentz.
Depending on the time remaining on the power play, they could also send Matthews or Nylander out with Paul to transition immediately onto the attack. They wouldn’t really be penalty killers in that situation.
Starting Blueger and Sissons together for the opening faceoff of a penalty kill also makes plenty of sense, depending on the matchup. Alternatively, the Leafs could select the unit based on handedness and who’s more rested.
Between Blueger, Sissons, and even Paul, there is genuine flexibility. The first five or so penalty killers should be fairly obvious, as should Lorentz whenever he draws into the lineup. It is simply a matter of pairing them up and deploying them strategically.
Who forms the second defense pairing on the penalty kill?
PK1 locks: Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev
In the mix: Everyone else
The competition
When healthy, the top defensive unit is obviously McCabe–Tanev, who form a very good PK1 pairing. There is no doubt about that.
After them, it is truly anyone’s guess.
For starters, none of Rielly, Raddysh, or OEL averaged even one minute of shorthanded ice time per game last season. Andrae played fewer than 12 total shorthanded minutes.
Stecher played over two shorthanded minutes per game with the Leafs last season, while Blankenburg averaged 1:37 per game over 49 games with Nashville before the Predators traded him to Colorado.
But just because almost none of them filled the role last season doesn’t mean they can’t do it or haven’t done it previously. OEL, for example, was a regular penalty killer when John Chayka had him in Arizona. Rielly has also been a regular for several seasons, particularly under Mike Babcock when Hiller was on the staff, and most recently in 2021-22.
The reality is that the Leafs probably lack proper penalty-killing defensemen and will have to find a way to make it work with the personnel they have.
My take
This could be an overlooked issue for the team. I can’t suggest anything here that looks like a particularly good solution, so the Leafs will have to experiment.
I do think OEL can be serviceable in the role. He has a really long reach and averaged 1:28 per game on the penalty kill with Florida, although four Panthers defensemen were ahead of him.
On the other side, perhaps the best argument for Stecher making the team is his penalty killing. He is surprisingly effective in the role despite his size and represents a solid right-shot option.
If it isn’t Stecher, the Leafs will probably have to try all of their options and see what works. I would try to avoid using Raddysh in that spot and would prefer he focus on driving offense from the back end.
It would significantly help Andrae’s case to become a lineup regular if he can prove to be an effective penalty killer.
I wish I had a better answer here, but this is the group the Leafs have.
