Copycat league: What the Toronto Maple Leafs can learn from the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers

It is no secret that the NHL is a copycat league. The winner of the Stanley Cup can influence the teambuilding meta-narrative league-wide. Of course, some lessons can be gleaned from those who are successful, but miscalculations are easy to make when striving for greatness. Let’s take a closer look at the Stanley Cup finalists, the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, to see what the Leafs might take away from their success.

The big bad Panthers

There are important differences to acknowledge. Most of all, few goalies are as accomplished as Sergei Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner. Still, there are some valuable nuggets of wisdom that the Panthers’ journey can teach the Leafs.

Don’t be scared to gamble

It makes sense to start with the Panthers’ guile, boldly trading away Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar for Matthew Tkachuk right after they won a Presidents’ Trophy.

Three consecutive Stanley Cup Finals are proof enough of their gamble paying off. An interesting wrinkle that is often overlooked is that Aleksander Barkov was hardly free from criticism before the deal. Barkov was not exactly known for outstanding playoff performances at that point. Though he and Huberdeau often played on separate lines, there was a budding narrative that neither was built for the playoffs.

Of course, this relates to Auston Matthews, who has already accomplished a great deal outside of the playoffs. These days, Barkov is revered as one of the best playoff centres the game has to offer, and there’s no reason to think that Matthews might be able to gain such a reputation with a better mix of talent around and beneath him.

Mining for diamonds

Still, the Panthers’ successes are hardly limited to that one trade. The Panthers picked up both Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaeghe, giving them their biggest opportunities as young players who had not yet established themselves as regular NHLers. Famously, Forsling was a waiver pickup as the Chicago Blackhawks cast off the former second-round pick. Verhaeghe, once a Leafs pick, had authored some incredible seasons within the AHL before getting his feet wet as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

While the Leafs are likely to subsidize their team with some veterans this offseason, they should not be afraid to keep taking swings on some younger, unestablished players as well. To their credit, the Leafs have found some success with unheralded players like Bobby McMann and Simon Benoit.

Finally, perhaps the biggest structural difference between the Leafs and the Panthers is centre depth. For now, the Panthers host Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell behind Barkov. The Leafs were outclassed, scrambling to find a centre who could push John Tavares for minutes. Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, and Scott Laughton all put forth efforts, but none are in the same tier as Tavares, Bennett, or Lundell.

The star-powered Oilers

Through their respective rebuilds, the Leafs and the Oilers were often compared. Over the last decade, both had high-flying star forwards that formed the foundation of their hopes. The most obvious difference is the dominance that the Oilers’ stars have consistently authored in the playoffs, among the greatest playoff performers in history, save for their lack of a Stanley Cup. The Leafs stars simply have not come close, often coming at a higher price on average.

This might lead to the conclusion that the Oilers are living out the Leafs’ fantasies, overwhelming their opponents with scoring and skill, throwing caution and convention to the wind. This is not exactly true, as the Oilers started their transition to a more veteran, physical team earlier and more wholeheartedly than the Leafs have. Former GM Ken Holland was not perfect, but he was able to turn a perennial disappointment into a perennial contender.

Do what works in the playoffs

The Oilers gave up on several high-end draft picks and have become among the deepest and most physical teams in the league. Their blueline is as good as any around the league, and their goalies are among the most cost-efficient. What’s more is that the Oilers seem to have poise, flipping a switch to ramp up in the playoffs. Obviously, Zach Hyman switching sides hurts, but his record-setting hits pace this postseason should be considered as a sign of this attitude.

The Oilers have been unafraid to get older, taking chances on players with size, grit, and skill. Some of these players have come as buy-low candidates, resurgent as members of the Oilers. Evander Kane and Corey Perry came with their own off-ice dramas, not to mention a belief that their best days were behind them. Jake Walman was a player who has had mixed reviews throughout his career, and is quite stout despite his offensive capabilities. John Klingberg seems to have revived his career, while ageless underdogs like Troy Stecher and Derek Ryan have been useful contributors through the years.

Perhaps this depth has allowed other players to ease into their roles. Kasperi Kapanen is playing the best hockey of his career, and Vasily Podkolzin has been a great find as a younger, physical winger. Fans are often distracted by a less-than-sightly contract for Darnell Nurse, but the Oilers have signed some great deals to core players, including Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. With Adam Henrique joining McDavid, Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers clearly have enviable depth at centre.

Takeaways

The Leafs will need to upgrade their centre position. Several avenues need to be explored to achieve this, including less desirable veterans and unheralded young players. While both Stanley Cup finalists are undeniably skilled, they both possess a depth of physicality, which the Leafs will undoubtedly continue to pursue. It is through depth and a balanced blend of attributes that these teams have derived this level of success. The Leafs are getting closer to such a balance, but there is still work to be done when measured against the Panthers and Oilers.