The Toronto Maple Leafs are now three games into their preseason and you can already notice a change in their play with new head coach Craig Berube behind the bench. The Maple Leafs made it a focus to try and be more aggressive offensively last season, especially from the backend and it ultimately didn’t quite work out.
With a new season and personnel up front and on the blue line, the Maple Leafs appear to be playing a more responsible style of play while not steering away from the puck possession style that makes them dangerous. There’s more of a commitment to playing a structured and strong 200-foot game. Yes, there’s still an adjustment period as we saw in the first game, but the Maple Leafs appear to be translating what they have learned in practise and executing Berube’s game plan better with each game.
Players executing Berube’s Style
When training camp started, the Maple Leafs posted a video of different scenarios that they were practising. A lot of which had to deal with weaknesses in their game last season, mainly odd-man rushes, chances against off the rush and defensive coverage within their own end. Those scenarios are what made the Maple Leafs struggle. That was the main emphasis when camp started and now you can see the translation to an actual game.
While it’s preseason and in some games the Maple Leafs haven’t gone up against the oppositions best, the willingness is there to execute which is a big positive. You’re seeing that attention to detail in their game, something that Berube recently said in his postgame interview. In the Maple Leafs 2-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators, Berube addressed the aggressive nature, backchecking and negating odd-man rushes as big reasons for success.
Three games in, the defensive structure is more noticeable and the quick transitional play on the back check is evident to clog up the middle and let nothing materialize. The Maple Leafs are quicker to pucks and taking away the opposition’s time and space. With the addition of players like Chris Tanev and the Maple Leafs already having some defensive minded forwards, they appear more reliable to handle those tough defensive situations while still not losing their speed and skill up front. William Nylander appears to be showing some potential with his move to centre as someone who can play a 200-foot game and John Tavares looks to have more pep in his step and is very energetic early on which is a sign that he isn’t slowing down just yet.
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The accountability that Berube has stated is showing and the team is forming a new identity as one that can be responsible in all three zones. Those are the kind of teams that can go on long runs into the postseason and we know how the Maple Leafs have struggled to get past the first round. The limiting of odd-man rushes and backchecking quicker is definitely great to see.
They held the lead against the Montreal Canadiens very well and showed that they can play that shut down style when they need to protect the lead.
Penalty Kill on Notice
To say that the Maple Leafs’ penalty killing last season was underwhelming is a major understatement. When a playoff team that has a 76.9% rate of killing penalties, is in the bottom half of the league in the category and had the 11th most goals against in that situation with 55, it’s a cause for concern.
This time, the Maple Leafs appear to be turning things around in another area that was a weakness last season. Lane Lambert was brought in to run the penalty kill this season and it was something the team practised early on. He was on Barry Trotz’s staff when the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2017-18 and that definitely worked out. After he was fired by the New York Islanders, the Maple Leafs found a spot for him on the bench and it’s starting to pay off.
Here’s a breakdown of their penalty-killing stats so far in the preseason.
| Opponent | PK Result |
| Game 1 vs OTT | 3-for-3 |
| Game 2 vs OTT | 4-for-4 |
| Game 3 vs OTT | 2-for-2 |
Now, I’m going to re-iterate that it is the preseason. However, the structure that Lambert is implementing is working and is a breath of fresh air in this situation, considering the product they had last season. Their units are more composed, aren’t cheating on plays to get out of position, getting into lanes very well to mitigate pucks getting on net and are aggressive when pursuing pucks and engaging in battles. They aren’t as passive as the previous season and it’s something that the team is doing well at the moment.
That responsible defensive structure down a man is definitely showing early on. For a player like Mitch Marner, he’s definitely going to continue to thrive in this role as he has the skill to do so. As an example, he had a great kill last game against the Canadiens. They’ve excelled in the preseason, but can it continue into the regular season where they’re going to see regular lineups more often than players eyeing for spots.
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If the Maple Leafs can stick to their game plan and continue to be responsible and structured within their own end, then they’ll be more towards the top of that category than at the bottom. With a power play that’s looking to be more confident early on, a more aggressive penalty killing unit will give them an edge in the special teams battle.
It’s early on in the preseason, but there’s a difference in the style of play that the Maple Leafs have shown. Berube made it a point to work on aspects that the team was weak in last season and now it’s steadily improving over time. From being quick on the backcheck to their steady play on the penalty kill, what they’ve learned in practise has translated to game action and that is something to take note as the team improves.
