The Maple Leafs' slow start has largely gone under the radar thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays capturing the hearts of Canadian sports fans.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are up to their usual October woes, and while they probably won’t admit it, they are likely happy that there are no more games left in the month after going 4-4-1. The record on its own isn’t anything to get concerned about; it is the manner of their play that is worrying. This poor play is characterized by Toronto allowing the most zone rushes so far this season, forward lines that have undergone constant shuffling, and a struggle by their best players to consistently carry the games.
The good news is: they aren’t feeling much heat, as the Toronto Blue Jays have effectively captured the attention of the entire Toronto sports market. Before Toronto’s 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday, Craig Berube discussed the attention the baseball team is receiving during this unexpected run and whether they are feeling less pressure.
“Well, it's deserving. The Jays are in the World Series. There’s only one team in Canada,” Berube said. “Canada’s focused on that right now, in my opinion, especially Toronto, which is the right thing.”
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There are some that argue that if the Jays win the World Series, the attention would immediately shift back to the Maple Leafs within a matter of days. I disagree with that. If the Jays are able to win their first championship since 1993, everything from the parade to the after parties would effectively dominate the news cycle for at least another couple of weeks, if not a month. Nobody may even get concerned about the Leafs until after the American Thanksgiving weekend at the end of November.
By that point, the Leafs may finally find consistency. Maybe the offense will start to execute. Maybe the structure will be so fundamentally sound that the Leafs will be better in the long run.
The Leafs should hopefully get some stability back in goal when Joseph Woll is activated from his stint on long-term injured reserve. While you couldn’t put the entire poor showing against the Jackets on Cayden Primeau, the wearing down of Anthony Stolarz has begged for a Woll return sooner rather than later. William Nylander moving in and out of the lineup with a lower-body injury is also reason for concern. Toronto’s top scorer is key to their offense, and having him play with Auston Matthews is absolutely necessary in order to turn things around.
Scott Laughton could return soon from a lower-body injury that has kept him out all season long. His absence threw a wrench into the club’s bottom-six forward group, causing a big shuffle of centers and the delayed debut of Easton Cowan.
‘I Wasn’t Good Enough’: Scott Laughton Enters Maple Leafs Training Camp Focused On Turning His Game Around
Scott Laughton, a self-described "pretty harsh self-critic," wasn't happy with his performance after joining the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nhl.com/mapleleafs">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> midway through last season."I wasn't good enough last year. That's the bottom line," Laughton said following his first on-ice session at training camp. "I need to be able to contribute offensively and create that way and help out some of those top guys".
The Leafs have a lot of road games in November, and they have consistently played better when they get away. Max Domi seemed to be itching for it as well, following his two-goal night at home against the Calgary Flames.
“We love playing at home, certainly being at home with our families and playing in front of our great fans. But I think that's when you really take a next step forward, is when you have a few days together,” Domi said. “And that's what it's all about at this level—building relationships off the ice as fast as you can and coming together as quick as you can—because that translates directly onto on-ice success.”
This shared time away, building relationships off the ice, is exactly what the team needs to spark success when they finally return to the ice.
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