Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Not to Confuse Messy with Broken

The most interesting thing about the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 3-2 loss to Montreal on opening night had very little to do with the final score. Toronto looked like a team that was still learning how to play together.

That sounds obvious when a club has added as many new pieces as the Maple Leafs have, but seeing it happen in a real game is different. Kirill Marchenko had flashes. Gavin McKenna looked like an 18-year-old playing his first NHL game. Darren Raddysh looked like a defenceman who was trying awfully hard to make a good first impression. None of that is particularly alarming.

In fact, it might be exactly what opening night was supposed to look like.

The New Maple Leafs Showed Flashes — But They’re Still Learning

The first temptation after a season opener is to decide what everybody is. Marchenko is going to be this. McKenna is going to be that. Raddysh either fits or he doesn’t. I’m not buying any of that after one game.

Marchenko showed why Toronto wanted him. At times, he attacked defenders one-on-one and looked dangerous with the puck. That’s the part of his game that can become really interesting once he gets more comfortable with the players around him. He doesn’t need to prove everything in September. He needs to start figuring out where his linemates will be before they get there.

McKenna’s night was probably even more instructive. At times, the NHL game looked faster than what he was used to. That’s not criticism. That’s hockey. The kid is 18 years old and playing his first regular-season NHL game. There will be an adjustment period.

The same applies to Raddysh. At times, he seemed to be pressing, almost as if he wanted to justify his new contract immediately. But that should settle down as the games accumulate.

The bigger point is that these players aren’t joining a finished hockey team. They’re joining one that is changing its identity, its systems and its expectations. They have to learn the players beside them while learning the new way Toronto wants to play. That’s going to take time.

And perhaps the most important thing for all three is developing a short memory. Make a mistake, learn from it, and move on. One game doesn’t get to define a season.

Jim Hiller Already Started Searching for Chemistry

In contrast, Montreal looked like a team that already knew what it was doing. The Canadiens had a playoff run last season, and their players moved around the ice with noticeable comfort. Veterans seemed to know where the next pass was going. Their depth players contributed. Josh Anderson’s goal was a wonderful example of a player patiently waiting for the play to develop instead of forcing it.

Toronto wasn’t there yet. But Jim Hiller seemed to recognize that. Rather than simply riding the original combinations, Hiller moved Easton Cowan into a more prominent role alongside William Nylander and John Tavares. And almost immediately, something happened. Nylander and Cowan combined on a terrific give-and-go that cut Montreal’s lead to 3-2.

Now, one play doesn’t establish a permanent line combination. But it does give the coach something to think about. That’s really what these early games are for.

Cowan brings something different to that group. He’s energetic, he’s the Cowboy who’s willing to go into uncomfortable areas, and he seems to have the hockey sense to keep up with a player like Nylander. Nylander, meanwhile, can create time and space for a young player who is still figuring out the NHL game.

Maybe it works. Maybe it doesn’t. But Hiller has to find out. And that’s the story coming out of opening night. Toronto doesn’t simply need its new players to play better. The Maple Leafs need to discover which players make each other better.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

Montreal already seemed to have some of those answers. Toronto is still asking the questions. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just where this team is right now.

The Maple Leafs have changed enough pieces that instant chemistry was never going to happen throughout the lineup. Marchenko has to learn his teammates. McKenna has to learn the league. Raddysh has to learn his defence partners. Cowan is trying to establish himself in the middle of it all.

And Hiller will have to keep moving pieces around until the picture becomes clearer. The Cowan-Nylander combination may or may not become something. But seeing Hiller make that adjustment in Game 1 reminded me the coaching staff is also learning this new roster.

The bottom line: Toronto lost the hockey game. But the Maple Leafs also got their first real look at what this new team will require: patience, experimentation, and a willingness to let the players figure each other out.

Some nights will look messy. Opening night was one of them. The trick now is not to confuse messy with broken.