For many seasons, the Toronto Maple Leafs ‘ offence has been their bread and butter. So far this season, their star forwards have once again been impactful. Auston Matthews has three hat tricks already. William Nylander is currently on a franchise-record 11-game season-opening point streak. Meanwhile, both Mitch Marner and John Tavares are producing at an over a point-per-game pace. So, things are fine with the Maple Leafs’ offence, right? Actually, no.
After the Core Four, Calle Jarnkrok has the most points by a Maple Leafs forward with only five. Big-name free-agent additions like Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi have been noticeably quiet as they adjust to their new club. Domi has zero goals and four assists in 11 games, while Bertuzzi has just three points in just as many.
Recently, Domi was asked by reporters what the Maple Leafs’ offence needs to do to get going. The skilled forward responded confidently by saying, “Just staying with it, man. Just keep chipping away at that rock. Eventually, it’s going to break.” The whole clip can be found below.
While Domi and the majority of the Maple Leafs’ forwards have had a tough start to the season, it is clear that the 2013 first-round pick is not letting it get to his head too much. Instead, he is calling out both he and his teammates to stay consistent and driven. He feels that things can change for the better with this game plan, and it is hard not to respect his position.
Maple Leafs Have Potential to Turn Things Around
When looking at the Maple Leafs’ roster on paper, they should be performing much better in terms of offence. Domi was a big force for the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars last season, posting 20 goals and 56 points in 80 games. Bertuzzi, on the other hand, was excellent following his move to the Boston Bruins last season. He had 16 points in 21 regular-season games for the Bruins, but more notably, 10 points in seven playoff games. These two, in particular, clearly have the skill to pick up their stats, and the hope is that they will once they get used to Sheldon Keefe’s system.
Matthew Knies is another forward who has the potential to improve his offence as the season rolls on. This is his first full NHL season, and he should get better as he continues to gain experience. He showed last season during the playoffs that he can be a bigger threat. It naturally can sometimes take young players some time to adjust to the sport’s most competitive league.
As for bottom-six players like David Kampf, Noah Gregor, Pontus Holmberg, and Ryan Reaves, they are not big-time producers, but it is certainly fair to expect them to provide a bit more as the season continues.
Now Is Not the Time for Panic
Although the Maple Leafs’ secondary scoring has been brutal so far this season, I’d argue that it is still too early to panic. There is still plenty of time for the Maple Leafs to improve, and even with their anemic depth scoring, they have a respectable 5-4-2 record. They are not experiencing the same kind of pressure as expected playoff teams like the Edmonton Oilers (2-7-1), Calgary Flames (3-7-1), Minnesota Wild (4-5-2), or Pittsburgh Penguins (4-6-0).
The Maple Leafs should listen to Domi’s advice moving forward. Now is not the time to give up but rather to keep pushing.
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