The Maple Leafs need to make one key change to their power play – The Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had some positives this season, but the one thing they have excelled at in the past remains their biggest problem and the reason for their lack of wins and points this season. We’ve all noticed that the Maple Leafs’ power play is the most talked about topic, as it has been absolutely abysmal this season, at 7.9%, which ranks last in the league.

After bringing in Marc Savard to try and improve a player advantage that was completely lost during the final stretch and beyond the 2023-24 season, the situation remains the same this season as they have failed to get the chemistry and results they need. They have looked good at times, but the struggle remains at the forefront. There are many reasons why they failed to take advantage of the player advantage, but there is one main reason that needs to change in order to succeed.

Be more aggressive on the power play

After their power play cooled off again against the St. Louis Blues, head coach Craig Berube was very outspoken about what is plaguing the team’s power play.

“We don’t put enough pucks in the net. We play in the majority. We need to score more goals. We need to get pucks to the net and create opportunities around the net on bad plays. But that’s not the case,” Berube said, according to The Hockey News’ David Alter, after their 4-2 loss to the Blues. “There’s no shooting mentality in the power play right now.”

The one thing that hasn’t brought the Maple Leafs success in the past is their aggressive mentality when they pose a threat to the man advantage. From entering the zone until the puck hits the net, they continue to be passive and stick to their old habits. Whether it was rushing, passing on the wing on entry, or staying on the perimeter, it was all a downfall for the power play.

Considering the amount of money that is in the pipeline for Core Four – more than $46 million – one would expect the top division to be more successful than the numbers suggest. The Maple Leafs do have the second-most high-danger chances (36) and fourth-most goal chances (73) on the player advantage, but only three goals overall are concerning. On top of that, they’re in the top 15 in low threat odds with 70, which doesn’t help.

The Maple Leafs lack the speed and quickness to play early. They are again too passive and not aggressive in their attitudes. They always try to pass and position themselves along the perimeter, but this clearly does not work. They aren’t quick enough in their passing, they struggle to move the puck through difficult lanes that lead to gaps, and they don’t do enough to make them quick and get players out of position. Instead, they are on their heels as they are more often pressured with the puck and forced to retreat.

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The shooting threat is gone with Auston Matthews and William Nylander. Mitch Marner keeps passing instead of shooting when he has a chance. The only bright spot is the emergence of Matthew Nice, who will become the network’s main player. A lot needs to change. It starts with finding that aggressive mindset again and getting players on the ice to change that.

Players need to understand this

In every game, the lack of intention to play on the power play remains a topic of conversation. If you look at game reviews from The Hockey Writers, there will most likely be criticism of the power play.

While Savard, who controls the power play, needs to try a different approach, what else can be done? You’ve already had a major shake-up splitting players in the top flight, you’ve already swapped Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson at quarterback, everyone knows the problems that come with that; what else are you doing?

While the team continues to look for answers to its power play woes, it ultimately falls on the players as they are the ones who continue to fail in execution due to their poor play. Berube has already explained the reasons why they continue to fail, now it is time to act and react accordingly. Berube can only say what he sees until it is time for the players to act and finally execute.

It’s only a matter of time before the Maple Leafs break out of this slump, once they do the goals will start coming in droves. It’s something you have to deal with now rather than before the playoffs, which has hurt them many times before. They need to break free from their predictability and change their approach because after a month nothing is working in the power play.

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Energy, fast play, intent and pressure must be present at all times in a power play. Until they bring this in, the topics of conversation will be pretty much the same until they realize that what doesn’t work won’t get them very far.

Statistics from Natural Stat Trick.