Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Bobrovsky, Wood & Problems Can Be Solved Later

The Toronto Maple Leafs are only a few games into the season, so I’ll try not to get too carried away by what I’m seeing. That’s harder to do than it sounds, of course. We watch a couple of games, somebody has a bad night, somebody else has a good one, and suddenly we’re trying to figure out what it all means for the next six months.

But a couple of things are worth watching right now. Sergei Bobrovsky hasn’t exactly lit up the goaltending stats through his first two starts, but I’m not convinced those numbers tell us much about what he’ll be for the Maple Leafs. And then there’s Miles Wood, sitting with the Toronto Marlies and waiting for his opportunity. Neither situation requires an immediate answer.

Bobrovsky’s Numbers Aren’t Pretty. But Should Maple Leafs Fans Be Worried?

Through two starts, Bobrovsky is 0-2 with a 3.06 goals-against average and an .887 save percentage. Those numbers won’t impress anybody. But there’s more to the story than a stat line and deciding the Maple Leafs have a goaltending problem.

In the season-opener against the Montreal Canadiens, Bobrovsky stopped 21 of 24 shots, including two goals that came off turnovers and deflections that were extremely difficult to handle. Toronto also looked like a team still figuring out how to play together. Against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, he stopped 26 of 29 shots in a 3-2 loss. Again, the result wasn’t what Toronto wanted, but Bobrovsky wasn’t exactly hanging out there by himself with the team playing perfectly in front of him.

That’s important because this is a new Maple Leafs team. Bobrovsky is learning a new defence. The defence is learning him. Everybody is learning where everybody else is going to be. That takes time, and let’s not forget why Toronto signed him in the first place. They didn’t sign him on a three-year, $21 million contract because they thought he was finished. They were betting on a bounce-back.

Two games aren’t enough to tell us whether that bet will work. Maybe the more interesting question right now is whether Bobrovsky can give the Maple Leafs enough while the team in front of him figures itself out. If he can, those numbers have plenty of time to get better.

Miles Wood Can Wait. The Maple Leafs Don’t Have to Decide Yet.

Maybe the Maple Leafs don’t have to do anything with Miles Wood right now. Wood is with the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Marlies after coming to Toronto in the Kirill Marchenko trade, and some have speculated that the Maple Leafs could move him again. But why rush into another decision?

Elliotte Friedman has suggested that Wood is a good player and that Toronto will eventually find a use for him. Given his history, there’s no real reason to doubt that. He’s a veteran bottom-six player who brings speed, physicality, penalty killing, and a willingness to do the less glamorous work.

And here’s the thing: the Maple Leafs don’t know yet exactly what they’ll need from him. If somebody gets hurt, Wood could be the answer. If the fourth line keeps struggling offensively, maybe the Maple Leafs decide they need a little more speed and bite. If the team needs somebody who can make the other team uncomfortable, Wood has done that throughout his career. Right now, he can stay with the Marlies, stay ready and wait.

I like that situation. Wood doesn’t have to be the answer today. He can be an answer waiting to see what question the Maple Leafs eventually need to ask. That’s not a bad place for a veteran bottom-six player to be. Sometimes you don’t make a move because you don’t know what the move should be yet. You wait. You watch. You see where the injuries, the lineup and the season take you. And if the opportunity presents itself, Wood is there.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

For me, the next step is pretty simple: watch before judging. Bobrovsky has played two games behind a team that is still learning how to play together. That’s not an excuse for poor goaltending, but it is context. He has a long track record, and Toronto signed him expecting him to be part of the solution. I’m willing to give him some time to find his rhythm.

And Wood is an entirely different kind of waiting game. He doesn’t need to be traded just because he’s with the Marlies right now. He can stay ready and let the Maple Leafs discover what they need. Injuries will happen. Lines will change. The fourth line may keep struggling, or it may suddenly find some chemistry. Hockey has a way of answering questions you didn’t know you were asking.

So maybe that’s the lesson from both of these situations. Not every problem needs to be solved immediately. Sometimes you give a player a little time. Sometimes you keep another player in your back pocket. And sometimes the smartest thing a hockey team can do is wait long enough for the answer to present itself.