The Toronto Maple Leafs have been named an all-offense and no-defense team for some time. They can get pucks in the attacking zone but crumble on their blue lines. Letting pucks glide deep into their defensive zone, often missing the battle for possession in the neutral zone. Toronto hired a new coach this offseason, named a new captain, and added two defensemen to their D-line. Toronto hopes this is the change the club has desperately needed.
Maple Leafs and Their New Coach
The Toronto Maple Leafs were knocked out of the first round of playoffs last season. Resulting in the firing of the head coach, Sheldon Keefe. General Manager Brad Treliving, noted they wanted to move in a different direction regarding the club’s leader. After the pressing need for a replacement, the search ended with the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers’ former head coach, Craig Berube. The Maple Leafs favored the seasoned coach and former NHL player for his 201-132-44 record and his Stanley Cup Championship (2019) with the St. Louis Blues. Combining his time with the Philadelphia Flyers, Berube’s overall coaching record is 281-190-72 (.584).
To further the allurement to his resume, Berube was an NHL player himself. He played for the New York Islanders, Philadelphia, Toronto, Calgary, and Washington. His career totaled a resounding 1,054 regular season games, acquiring a total of 159 points, and 3,159 penalty minutes.
The Team’s New Captain
In a shocking and rare move, the Maple Leafs stripped John Tavares of the respected “C.” Many speculate the root cause of this decision, but the truth is yet to be revealed. What is noteworthy is Tavares seems to support this decision making the call himself to the new captain, Auston Matthews. Matthews will be the first American to be the Maple Leafs captain, a home-grown Arizonian. He has been with the Toronto club since being drafted in 2016.
Auston Matthews has made headlines throughout his NHL career. He was the first pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and scored four goals in his NHL debut, being the first in the modern era to do so. Matthews leading the Maple Leafs will promise a change.
The New Defensive Line
After constant concern about the defensive issues on the back end of the Maple Leafs, Treliving made serious changes. He added two star defensemen to reinforce the team’s defense. Chris Tanev, former Dallas Star and notorious puck blocker, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the Swedish, recent Florida Panthers Stanley Cup Champion. Rumors over a third defenseman, injured Jani Hakanpaa, have not been without issue. The Maple Leafs expressed sincere excitement over signing Hakanpaa earlier in the year, but news has broken that the contract is still untouched.
The New Toronto Maple Leafs
With all the drastic changes the Maple Leafs have made, the upcoming season could be their fiercest on the ice. A new head coach, new club captain, and an intimidating defensive line pledge improvement to some degree. If the club and management can carefully rebuild this team before October 8, the Maple Leafs could dominate the ice each time they step blades down on the rink.
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