Six games into the season, the Maple Leafs are a more talented, more exciting team, with plenty still to figure out.

In our assessment of the Leafs after six games, we looked at encouraging signs within the team’s forward depth, the challenge of building a consistent three-line attack, and the disjointed breakouts. The talent is there to make this a fun season, but finding the right combinations and moving the puck up ice more cleanly will be critical to turning that potential into sustained success.

In this week’s Notebook, we dig into Matthews’ heater, Hiller’s lineup flexibility, McKenna’s skating, Tanev’s absence, and a few adjustments worth considering as the Leafs wrap up their road trip.

Notes

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  • It took a few games to get rolling, but Auston Matthews has been red-hot lately and is now up to 10 points in six games, with two four-point performances in his last three. A lot was made of his defensive usage last season: He received tough matchups, had subpar linemates, and was often asked to do the heavy defensive lifting. Matthews took 293 defensive-zone faceoffs last season, which equated to 4.88 per game. So far this season, he’s at 21, bringing that number down to a more palatable 3.5 per game. He’s averaging 35 seconds shorthanded after playing double that last season at 1:10 per game. Matchup-wise, he’s still playing in prime head-to-heads, as he should, but there is a bit more flexibility. Against the Islanders and Senators, the Leafs used the Nick Paul line as the primary matchup line. In the third period against Colorado, Jim Hiller put together a Duhaime–Blueger–Sissons shutdown line against MacKinnon. Individually, these are little things, but collectively, they add up to notable gains over a game and the season at large. Add in systemic changes to make more plays with the puck, the fact that he’s healthier, and more talent around him than last season, and Matthews looks great.
  • Last season, Darren Raddysh was on the ice for 71 goals for and just 49 against at 5v5 while playing on Tampa’s top pairing. So far this season, he’s been on for just three goals for and seven against in six games. His debut accounts for nearly half of the goals against—he was on for three—but even so, he’s had only one game in which he hasn’t been on for a goal against. He’s not exactly producing the other way, either, with two points in six games. In fact, he has yet to finish a game on the positive side of the 5v5 goal differential. Raddysh leads the team in ice time at 23:10 per night, which would be a new career high. The Leafs need more from him in general, but with Tanev out, that need will be magnified.
  • Hiller did a good job of keeping the Nylander benching during the Islanders game from becoming a bigger thing than it needed to be. Since then, Nylander has nine points in four games. When the Leafs were defending 6v5 against Colorado—their first opportunity to do so since the Islanders game—Nylander was out there.
  • The Leafs opened the season by scoring two goals per game for three straight games. Since then, they’ve scored five, three, and six, and it feels like things are correcting a bit. Even so, they are still shooting just 10 percent at 5v5, which currently ranks 15th in the league and would have ranked 12th last season. Matthews and Nylander are lighting it up, but only two other forwards have scored more than once: Cowan and Roslovic. Nick Blankenburg is the only defenseman with a goal so far. They’ve also been credited with 10 posts and crossbars. There is firepower on this team, and that’s likely their best formula for winning.
  • Kind of a weird stat: The Leafs are one of five teams in the league yet to have a fight. Of the other four teams, they have played three: Nashville, Ottawa, and Montreal.

Quotes

Jim Hiller, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach

“I’ve mentioned before, I kind of like 11 forwards, so it’s a chance to get Nick in and play 11 forwards.”

– Jim Hiller ahead of the Leafs–Avalanche game, in which the Leafs ran 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

“No, I actually prefer the players on their off hands. Not all of them like to play that way, but the ones that do, I think, have a lot of success… There are two things. Everybody’s so aggressive with pinching now on the walls. You can protect the puck a little bit better. You don’t expose it as much. The obvious one is when you come in over the blue line with a little bit of time and space. It’s easier to cut in on your forehand and be a threat to shoot into the middle.”

– Jim Hiller on wingers playing their off side.

The second quote is from the previous week, but it’s still relevant here. These are two things to watch for: the Leafs running 11 forwards and wingers lining up on their off wings.

It’s an interesting look for the Leafs, as I would argue they have seven top-six forwards if we include Easton Cowan. While Nick Paul wouldn’t generally be described as one, he has been successful in that role and is certainly not out of place higher in the lineup. 11 forwards allow the coach to boost their minutes and provide adequate ice time to players who are technically listed “down” the lineup.

“I think it’s important that the fans feel like there’s a locker room that is as passionate about the Toronto Maple Leafs as they are. That doesn’t happen overnight. That’s the process of trying to really learn to love the journey of it.

“At some point, this group is pushing and pushing, and they get so focused on that end goal. That’s the same end goal we all have, but at some point, just enjoying what it takes to get there, too: the ups, the downs, the struggles, the small wins and victories, being in the gym, being in practice, and being with the guys.”

– John Chayka when asked about the team’s identity.

You can tell the organization is placing a big emphasis on building positive vibes and improving the overall culture. Last season was miserable, and they are making a concerted effort to change it.

“But inconsistency with the puck I thought through the back end, we were leaving a lot of pucks in the middle of the ice against a team with the skill they have, it just kept coming back in waves and when this building gets going, it can be a little intimidating.”

– Andrew Brunette after the Leafs’ 5–4 overtime win.

We highlighted plenty of comments from opposing coaches last season, often variations of “we dominated them” or “that was the best our team has looked this season.” The Leafs have a lot more depth this season, and it was interesting to hear Brunette note that the Leafs can attack in waves, shift after shift.

Tweets

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The hands and vision have been as advertised, but McKenna clearly worked on his skating over the summer—while forgoing the World Championships—and it has made a huge difference. He looks explosive, and he’s creating real separation with his skating, giving himself time to make plays with the puck.

It’s not just the straight-line speed, either. His edges and ability to stop on a dime put defenders off balance, such as when he curled back and teed up Darren Raddysh against Vegas, leading to a goal.

Another example came during the full shift against Colorado before Matthews set up Nylander in the high slot. The sequence started with an offensive-zone draw that was flipped out to center. Blankenburg moved the puck up to McKenna, who turned up ice with Martin Necas backchecking at full speed. McKenna stopped dead, sending Necas flying past him, before skating cleanly into the zone and dishing to Matthews for a shot attempt off the rush.

You can already see some issues with gap control. Vegas scored on a simple 2-on-2 rush when the Leafs were up 3–0, seemingly swinging the game.

It’s early, but Sergei Bobrovsky is showing that he definitely still has some game left. How he handles the grind of the season, and how many games he can play at his age, are legitimate questions. But for all the valid concerns about his play last season with Florida, he is off to a good start.

It’s hard to watch this and not be concerned. It’s a fairly innocent play that nobody would otherwise think twice about or watch again. The Leafs are barely two weeks into the season, and that was enough to put Tanev on IR. It has been great having him back, but it’s hard to have much faith in him gutting through this season. Hope I’m wrong!

Five Things I Think I’d Do

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1.  With Tanev out of the lineup for at least a week on IR, I think it’s worth getting Marshall Rifai in for a look. He played one game for the Leafs last season, booted a puck under no pressure leading to a goal against, and basically never played again.

We know he’s limited with the puck, but I do think he can offer a few things to the defense and the team overall. He is a great skater who can add some speed to the defense, and he’s a physical defender willing to fight. Vegas, in particular, really pushed the Leafs around. It was difficult to watch, to be honest.

Rifai would be one of the few players willing to go out there and dish it back, or simply drop the gloves. Jeremy Lauzon was running around all game before he injured OEL, and nobody did anything about it. Perhaps Rifai won’t, either, but he stepped in during the preseason and has always been physical.

If they include Rifai as part of a group of seven, they can ease him in and see if it works. He also adds another potential penalty killer with Tanev down. It may help that Jon Gruden is now on the Leafs’ bench, too. He’ll be more familiar with Rifai and how to set him up for success than whatever the Leafs were doing last season.

2.  I think I like the idea of running 11 forwards and seven defensemen right now. There are a lot of moving parts up front, and you could probably convince me to run at least 20 different forward lines. With Tavares out, four of the Leafs’ top seven forwards are brand-new. While you can argue for consistency by setting the lines, I have liked seeing various combinations thrown together and tested.

It’s an easy way to keep things fluid, whether that means moving McKenna up to play with Matthews, trying Roslovic at center, giving Paul looks with Nylander or Marchenko, or moving Cowan between the skill players and grinders. They have plenty of combinations worth trying, and this gives them some looks.

3.  As part of dressing seven defensemen, I think I’d like to give McCabe–Raddysh as much run together as possible. Raddysh hasn’t had a great start, but McCabe has always made sense as his partner, and they’re likely the best pairing they can put together.

It would make their lives significantly easier if those two could form a solid top pairing. Everything else is easier to move around and slot in below an established pair that anchors the unit. They need to give it a real run, especially if Tanev is out for a while.

4.  I think one change I would like to see is Miles Wood receiving a look. While Bo Groulx hasn’t necessarily played poorly, and he has chipped in at center and on the penalty kill, he’s also not an established NHLer who needs time to get his game in order. It would probably serve him well to watch a game or two from up top and reset a little, because he is better than he has shown to date.

Wood has played 567 games in the league and, by all accounts, is still an excellent skater. He’ll know the fourth-line role well and bring speed and, hopefully, some bite. The Leafs have gone long stretches in which the ice has been completely tilted against them. I wonder if Wood and Duhaime can form a speedy energy line that goes out there and swings the momentum back the other way.

5.  I think I’d have Anthony Stolarz finish the road trip and Sergei Bobrovsky ready to go for a big divisional game Thursday against Buffalo. The Leafs are already 0–2 against the Atlantic, with both losses coming at home. In their other four games, they are 3–0–1. They need to start solving divisional opponents and avoid an 0–3 start against the Atlantic, with all three games at home.

Even on Saturday, when the Leafs picked up two big points against Colorado, Montreal won, Ottawa rallied to win, Tampa won, and Boston won. In the early going, it’s the only division in which every team has a points percentage above .300. The floor is high, and everyone is competitive.

For Stolarz, that would keep him on track for one start a week, which is a reasonable workload as long as Bobrovsky continues to play well.

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