Toronto Maple Leafs Like to Make Life Hard on Themselves

The Toronto Maple Leafs like to make things difficult for themselves.

The Toronto Maple Leafs could be a team to watch.

During his tenure in Toronto, coach Sheldon Keefe consistently unleashed a brutal, weak fourth line after the team scored. The results are as shocking as handing your car keys to a drunk friend.

Forward Ryan Reaves, arguably the worst forward in the NHL, sprinted and the Leafs gave up the tie in five minutes for the most part.
The momentum was dropping for no apparent reason and the defense was a constant wreck.

Add that surprising decision-making to Keefe’s general manager Brad Treliving’s refusal to field his best team, and it’s no wonder the Leafs have allowed more than four goals in four games heading into Saturday night’s game against Vancouver.
Canucks.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Why did Matthew Nice take so long to play on the top line?
In the first matchup between center Auston Matthews and winger Mitch Marner, rookie Matthew Knys scored a spectacular goal to give the Leafs a 1-0 lead.

He then had two assists in the Lifters’ 6-5 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Keefe tested Tyler Bertuzzi to Matthews’ left. Calle Jernkrok scored a few more points.

Chemistry experiments did not win professional competitions. Participation trophies were not guaranteed. Not that Matthews has slowed down.

The Leafs star’s only kryptonite was snowboarding without skates.
Matthew’s cane is hotter than Hopper’s sword burning in a Russian prison in Stranger Things.

The line was needed to make the final stretch consistent and dominant.
Eventually, Knies stepped in and it paid immediate dividends for the lifter. It was a lineup change that even Stevie Wonder could see.

Why were Nicholas Robertson and Bobby McMann ever Marlies?
Leafs forward Nicholas Robertson played in four games this offseason after failing to make the team out of camp and being traded to the Toronto Marlies and I still don’t know why.

He immediately gained energy, scoring 4 points. He looks like he can do something magical at any moment and has one of the best shots on the team.

Robertson bolstered the Leafs’ third line with Max Domi moving into the middle, where he could make better use of his pace and passing ability, and Jernkrok, awakened by a lively game, became the second scorer.

Bobby McMann was finally called up from the AHL and had two assists in the Leafs’ 5-2 win over the Canucks.
The Leafs’ new fourth line, without Reaves, thankfully responded to two key signings and wasn’t a defensive liability.
Make your life easier.

The good news is that the Leafs are tied for third in the Atlantic Division, but they don’t deserve to be there.
If the season starts with a win over Vancouver, the future looks bleaker than the fans and the media are willing to accept.

Without Reaves, who was signed specifically to “protect his teammates,” the Leafs could face two charges.
One was a terrible decision against 40-year-old Mark Giordano, and the other was an indictment of Domi.
Both fights were natural reactions to the clean but heavy hitting of William Nylander and Robertson.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are energetic, but they could be much more active if they made painful and clear decisions that would make their lives easier.

So hopefully Treliving’s removal of defenseman John Klingberg from the Leafs roster will alleviate some of the stress he’s causing this team and make life easier for this team’s fans.