When it comes to the playstyle of the Leafs, one thing that consistently gets brought up in terms of an area of weakness is the lack of the team being tough to play against.
Meaning that players on the Leafs can be cross-checked, high-sticked, or slashed and their teammates will not put up much resistance to let the opposition know that they won’t get off scot-free.
It’s a good place to start, but dishing out hits is not the only thing that defines team toughness. A big part is sticking up for your guys when one of them gets hit or standing up for yourself. This is something that the Leafs have struggled with on a consistent basis for years and do not have enough players that instinctively stand up for themselves, support their teammates, and protect the crease to prevent the screen.
That isn’t to say the Leafs do not have anyone that has the willingness to engage in scrums more often than not, with players like Michael Bunting, Wayne Simmonds, and Kyle Clifford leading the charge. But the problem is that Bunting is the only mainstay on the roster and the latter two don’t bring enough to be everyday players at this stage of their careers.
Bunting alone will not be enough to help the Leafs improve their identity of toughness by committee, and that was evident during Thursday’s game against the Stars.
The fear of taking a penalty should not stop the Leafs from playing this way, they need to show more often that everyone can depend on each other and defend themselves when opposing players take runs at them.
It is good that Tavares was eager to engage in this scrum, but he also did not put up much resistance and the unpleasantries ended just as quickly as they began. I will not consider myself to be a mind reader, but the look on Hathaway’s face makes me think he was bewildered that Tavares barely put up a fight.
While it is true that these are all isolated incidents, they are part of a collective problem that the Leafs do not consistently stand up for each other and themselves.
As I mentioned earlier, the lack of a response after the whistle on a regular basis subconsciously tells the opposition that they can do whatever they want without much repercussion from the Leafs. This is part of the reason why teams like the Canadiens, Bruins, and Lightning have been able to exploit this weakness from the Leafs: they have more guys who showcase this playstyle and Toronto does not have enough players who are keen to answer the bell when the situation calls for it.
It does not need to happen every single night, but there need to be enough instances where the Leafs stand up for each other to let opposing teams know they will have to endure some retaliation if they go after one of Toronto’s guys. And it needs to be a collective effort from the big five down to the fringe players and even the goalies. Otherwise, they will need to bring in more players that can provide that more frequently because help from within is not coming.
While this clip is a hit from Matthews, there is a reason why the crowd at Scotiabank Arena reacts the way they did: they want to see their players showcase a willingness to stick up for themselves combined with their natural talents.
Matthews showcasing that playstyle is great, but the rest of the Leafs’ key contributors need to do the same more regularly to help ensure this mentality gets instilled throughout their roster.
I bring up these five players, in particular, because they are the Leafs’ most important pieces on account that all of them make up over half of the Leafs’ salary cap. These are the guys that will dictate how well the team performs and how far they can take them in the playoffs.
Skill has allowed the team to consistently compete for the playoffs every year, but it has to be combined with that comradery in order to push them over the top. If the Leafs’ top five contributors are playing as they usually do while intuitively protecting their guys on a constant basis in addition to the ones already doing it like Bunting, then it will carry down more easily throughout the roster. This will send a message throughout the rest of the lineup that they need to step up their mindset or lose their spot to someone who will.
A trade for a player who will gladly show a willingness to defend his teammates no matter what combined with their talented skillset would certainly be beneficial in that department. That means targeting someone like Travis Konecny, Timo Meier, or Lawson Crouse to add more tenacity to the mix. While it will definitely help, it can only do so much; this will need to be instilled in as many players as possible to ensure that the Leafs are a pain to play against.
The Leafs often talk about how tight-knit the locker room is and that they are like a family. That may be true with their off-ice interactions, but they do not show it enough on the ice. There needs to be a change in attitude from the players to instinctively stand up for each other on a consistent basis because otherwise, the same problems from seasons past will prevent this core from achieving anything noteworthy.
