The Toronto Maple Leafs are rolling right now. They have ended ten consecutive games with points, and suddenly they’re above the playoff mark. Considering where this season took place not too long ago, that’s pretty hard to believe.
Because honestly, not that long ago, it seemed like the season was about to happen.
At the beginning of this season, the Maple Leafs seemed lost
Earlier this year, this team couldn’t keep anything together. There was no structure. They looked slow. They lost the lead in the third period. The second period felt like an adventure every night, and not the good kind. They were given a clue and immediately returned it.
Passages before the neutral zone were taken in panic and hope, snatched away and hastily turned the other way. The power play went so bad that they fired the power play coach. It all felt like a mess. At one point I even wrote that Craig Berube had coached the risk out of the team.
Looking back, I don’t know if I was right – and maybe I wasn’t entirely wrong either.
I admit, I have no idea what Craig Berube Hockey is supposed to look like
The truth is, I don’t really know what “Berube hockey” is supposed to look like anymore. I’m still not sure what the structure should be, or what the identity actually is. All I know is that they are winning – and they are winning in ways we didn’t see before.
Something has changed.
The setup changes Berube has made – especially at the front – have worked. Lines that shouldn’t work on paper somehow click. The Nicolas Roy – Nick Robertson – Easton Cowan line was a surprise in the best way. Robertson looks like a player who belongs. Cowan doesn’t look overwhelmed. Roy looks like a leader. Berube throws as many four lines as possible, and right now he can.
Matthews is dangerous again; Nylander looks locked up
The stars are doing star things again. Matthews looks dangerous again. Nylander seems locked up. Oliver Ekman-Larsson is having one of those seasons that you don’t notice until you’re really paying attention, and Scott Laughton just goes out there and wins faceoffs and works every shift.
On paper, the defense is still not elite. Injuries are still a thing. Young players are being asked to do real NHL work. And yet somehow it stays together. That’s the part I can’t fully explain yet.
This team is now in games. They don’t give up. They seem to stand up for each other. There is depth that covers wounds rather than exposing them. Mistakes still happen, but this time they are covered up and not exacerbated.
About the Maple Leafs postseason? Again: it’s a mystery
I have no idea what a Maple Leafs postseason would look like if they get there. I don’t know how long they can keep this up, and I honestly can’t say what Berube’s team should actually be like.
But I do know that Maple Leafs hockey is entertaining again. It feels competitive. It feels worth repeating. And if this team actually makes the playoffs, they should be tougher and closer than we’ve seen in years. For now I’ll just enjoy the games and hope there’s something real here.
Related: Maple Leafs interest in Brayden Schenn came at a high cost per insider
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