The Toronto Maple Leafs: Whats Wrong With Them?

To say that the season for the Toronto Maple Leafs has been bad would be an understatement.

So heres the question: Who is at fault per say? Well, thats a hard question because its a team effort. This topic is a broad one so lets just discuss some of the issues.

Mike Babcock

The first and most glaring issue at any struggle in professional sports has to be the teams head coach. Its hard to believe nowadays that once upon a time in 2015, Mike Babcock coming to Toronto was a fantasy. Leaf fans practically begged that we get a coach with a winning resume for the first time in years. On May 20th, 2015, the day became a reality when Babcock became the highest paid coach to date in the NHL. However, 4 years have passed and 3 playoff eliminations later and many are starting to turn on Mike and exiling him the way his previous coaching counterparts have exited. At the time of writing this, Babcock is here to stay as the organization feels there is no need for a coaching change at this current time. To start the 2019-20 season, the Leafs have been scored on 12 out of 13 times to start their games. For a team that has arguably a top 5 offensive core on paper, thats unacceptable. In Mikes defence, a coach can only do so much. However many argue he is not putting the team in a position to succeed (i.e. Starting Michael Hutchinson on the latter half of every back to back) There comes a time when a professional sports franchise wonders if they have taken the team as far as they can go. The Toronto Raptors for example, firing Dwayne Casey (the coach of the year) after he failed to bring the Raptors to the NBA final. Could a new face, such as a Sheldon Keefe who looms in the shadows be ready to step up and take the reigns?

The Defence

To say the Leafs defence core has been bad to start the season is treading lightly. Simply put, the team has not made the strides to necessarily improve. New additions such as Tyson Barrie and Cody Ceci have struggled in their new jobs and it although it is early, they have not found their groove. For Barrie, he had 2 horrible mishaps with the puck which led to Montreal breaking out into two goals on Saturday night. As for Cody Ceci, him and Morgan Rielly have not worked out at all. With Travis Dermott coming back the teams back end is getting slightly better but he is far from the solution to the blue line. Jake Muzzin has been one of the only consistent D-men but even he has struggled in his own zone. (I.e the 3rd goal in Saturday nights game) This team needs to establish an identity in their own end as we all know this team can be better. There is still plenty of time for the blue line to grow, can they become a stable unit the coach and the fans can trust?

The Star Players

I know what you are all thinking. This team has scored a lot of goals. Heck, they’re second in the league in GF per game behind the Washington Capitals. Matthews is tied for 3rd in the league in goals and Mitch Marner is tied for 5th in the League in points. Despite these facts however, the two have struggled significantly since the injury to John Tavares. Marner has been giving the puck away a lot and has not been his usual self. One can only wonder what is going on in his head. As for Matthews, he has been struggling defensively as well with many failed assignments. Focus is an issue for these 2 superstars and they need to find a way to figure out how to strengthen their poise out on the ice with or without the puck. Now granted again its still early into the season, these things can certainly change. However many tend to look at the price tags of these 2 players and think they need to produce more. Many compare them to a duo like Leon Draisatl and Connor Mcdavid, how they should dominate like those two are, especially now that Babcock has tried the pair out on the top line. Despite Tavares due back sooner rather than later, this team still needs to step up in their own zone as well as on the scoresheet in order to avoid the tough questions from the media. Heart and Grit. Effort

Effort

I know the sub-heading above is very broad but this one sums up the Leafs as a whole. The fact is, this team is not playing as strong as they should be on some nights as of late. For example, on all of the leafs back to backs this season, they have allowed a total of 18 goals in their second games. I know Micheal Hutchinson is not the best goalie, but he is being left out to dry by his teammates in each of his starts. The schedule may be tough on the team but they need to find and work on their issues. Talk to your teammates, discuss what works and what doesn’t and then go forward with that. Also, when it comes to the penalties, the team is still very undisciplined. Within the last 4 games the team has taken 9 penalties, a majority were stick infraction penalties. The team also has been getting criticism for its lack of sticking up for their players. Aside from Jake Muzzin on occasion, many players let the other team get away with a lot of things, such as players like Brandon Dillon and Jeff Petry clocking one of your start players in Auston Matthews. I’m not saying you need to be a goon or have one on your team, but this team needs to start sticking up for themselves and for their players. Otherwise it could lead many teams steamrolling their way through you.

Summary

In short, this team still has a lot of work to do. As the calendar flips over to November. We hopefully see the Leafs work on their struggles in the going months and hopefully work their way up in the standings.