Maple Leafs' slow start could be a blessing in disguise, former NHL head coach suggests

The Toronto Maple Leafs won on Monday, 4-3, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, improving to 7-5-1 after 13 games and climbing to third in the Atlantic Division.

Former player and coach Darryl Sutter spoke about the Maple Leafs' situation in the Nov. 4 edition of the "Leafs Morning Take" podcast and argued that the team's initial ups and downs are good for the long term.

Although it beat the Penguins on Monday, Toronto was coming off a streak of poor results, heavily reliant on the power play and visibly incomplete in its structure. It's not a big deal, according to Sutter.

"In the long run, this is not the worst thing for them because, quite honestly, there have been times the last few years where they were kind of on cruise and still winning and relying on the big guys to win the game or the power play to win the game," Sutter said. "Maybe now this is a really, really good teaching and learning experience for them right now."

How the Maple Leafs can capitalize on their initial ups and downs this season

Sutter is right. The initial ups and downs can be useful because they reinforce accountability. They are going to consolidate head coach Craig Berube's team-first focus and can reduce the dependence on stars. In the short term, they are painful, but they accelerate the system buy-in.

It's true that Toronto showed dependence on the power play, but even so, it came back from a 3-0 deficit against Pittsburgh, confirming that the ceiling exists, but the habits are not consolidated yet.

Berube could capitalize on the initial errors by correcting the reads in one-on-one and three-on-two to avoid odd-man rushes. He should also implement an orderly return with F3 high and reloads to close the middle.

Toronto can take advantage of the current information to work on improving the clarity of the roles by line. It must place three to four players in the right spots and define the identity of each trio in forecheck, matchups and puck-possession.

The Maple Leafs must also improve at protecting the slot and the goal, making box-outs before the shot, and clearing rebounds. Berube should adopt a strategy of less watching the puck, more marking bodies.

Just as Sutter also explained, they will have to define when the coach has the room and the players. In some moments, Berube will have it and will have to lead, correct and tighten. In others, the players will have it, and there, the veterans will have to take control, demand more of themselves and close ranks. The important thing will be to know how to read the timing so that all of this translates into 60-minute habits, not just flashes of one period.