How the Maple Leafs became the NHL’s worst defensive team

Toronto’s recurring defensive issues have been a glaring issue at least since a 5-3 loss to the Buffalo Sabers on Oct. 24. Berube was particularly concerned about Sabers defenseman Mattias Samuelsson getting a clean look from the weak side. Easton Cowan, who was a strong defensive presence during his 10 games with the Maple Leafs, is caught eyeing the puck after Dakota Joshua does too much.

“For me it’s more about a bit of awareness,” Berube said the next day. “We conceded a few goals there from the weak side, two defenders came in and scored. That’s a bit of our forward awareness of the weak side. For me it’s still the oddballs and how they sometimes appear. We’ve done better at times and we have to improve on that.”

It feels like every odd-man rush is going to end with the puck in the back of the Leafs’ net, and this goal from Tage Thompson is a prime example of that. Buffalo escapes its defensive zone quite easily, and Toronto’s attackers don’t get back until it’s too late. Matthew Knies makes a late attempt to pick up Bowen Byram but Thompson is left alone for a dangerous opportunity, which he takes advantage of. Knies isn’t the main culprit either, as Philippe Myers was caught looking at the puck, while Matias Maccelli is barely in the picture.

It was a particularly awful evening for Rielly, whose unforced turnover led directly to Ivan Provorov’s follow-up goal. And with the game out of reach, Matthew Knies, John Tavares and Auston Matthews end up too far up the ice after the Blue Jackets win a defensive zone face-off, and Rielly is unable to defend the ensuing 2-on-1, showing poor gap control.

Toronto defenders panic while leaving the zone. Rielly, Carlo, Myers, and Simon Benoit usually have trouble getting the puck against the wall, and the entire team is punished for turnovers. During a win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 3, spurred by a frenetic comeback in the third period, Benoit fumbles the puck while driving through the zone, and Erik Karlsson scores on the counterattack.

Here’s another example of a costly turnover: During the Maple Leafs’ most complete win of the year against the Utah Mammoth on November 5, Carlo and Rielly had a bad game. Cedric gets picked off by Lawson Crouse and gets roughed up trying to win the puck back. Rielly compounds the mistake by chasing Crouse behind the net, instead of picking off Michael Carcone, who is left wide open.

Myers makes a crucial blunder on the Hurricanes’ tying goal, as he cannot get the puck against the wall with enough force to leave the zone. Rielly remains inattentive, and Taylor Hall ties the game at 4-4.

It would be easy to blame the Maple Leafs’ defensive woes on Chris Tanev’s injury-related absence, but he also had a slow start to the year. Jake McCabe is Toronto’s best offensive defenseman, playing with real physicality and making a concerted effort to show more offensive pop.

McCabe also commits unusual turnovers, which are routinely capitalized on. And with the game tied in the third period, McCabe makes an unnecessary mistake, getting picked off by Nikolaj Ehlers in his defensive zone. Ehlers makes a cross-seam pass to K’Andre Miller, who deftly drops the ball to Logan Stankoven, and it’s 5-4 Hurricanes.

Toronto left Dennis Hildeby out to dry, and an irritated Berube came to defend his goaltender.

“He made a lot of saves. We gave them, what, three breakaways in the second period? Maybe four? I don’t know. I lost count. It has nothing to do with the goalie,” Berube said.

Through the first 17 games of the season, the Maple Leafs exhibit poor gap control and fail to pick up the crashing man on odd-man rushes. They struggle with simple zone exits, often caused by an inability to skate out of the zone, or a weak pass against the wall that remains in the defensive zone. Last year Toronto made a concerted effort to clear the net front, but this year Toronto has allowed 21 high-danger goals at 5-on-5, the third-worst total in the NHL, reflecting a tendency to allow opponents in the low position.

Turnovers in the defensive zone are a habit, and the Maple Leafs’ torrid offense can’t disguise the fact that they are the NHL’s worst defensive team this year. For the first time during the Matthews era, a play-off spot is in jeopardy. Can the Maple Leafs fix their glaring issues?