Sorry, the Toronto Maple Leafs are not as good as they think they are

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Deep in an answer regarding defenceman TJ Brodie came a revelation from Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe that said plenty about the 2023-24 edition of Toronto’s NHL club.

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Keefe was speaking to the media on Wednesday in Calgary following a skate for the team’s scratches when he was asked where he was with Brodie’s play. 

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Keefe acknowledged Brodie’s game hasn’t been up to snuff and that the veteran needs to be more of a pillar at crucial times when the team is trying to close out games (read: Not blow leads.) 

Keefe went further into the general issue.

“Whether it’s Brodie we have come to rely upon over the years or anyone who goes on the ice in those key moments, we need to execute,” Keefe said. “Some of it is relying on those who have been here and the other part of it I’m trying to figure out as a coach is all the new players we have, whether it’s forward or defence, who are we going to rely on in those moments, who is going to go out and get the job done?”

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This was the kicker from Keefe: “Despite the fact we are through the halfway point of the season, 42 games in, I still have a lot of questions, quite honestly, about who is going to go out and we can say for certain is going to get the job done for us. It’s a little bit inconsistent throughout the group.”

It was a stark admission by the coach, coming on the heels of a four-game losing streak in which the Leafs had a lead in all four games, including a multi-goal lead in three of them. Next on the schedule as the four-game trip through the west continues is a date on Thursday with the Calgary Flames, who have won four in a row and seven of their past nine.

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Sometimes, you would think the Leafs are the only NHL team that is bent by the stress of introducing new players to the lineup with the way it’s a point of discussion around the team. It’s not like general manager Brad Treliving added a bunch of players last summer who never played in the NHL. He just happened to add a group that isn’t as defensively strong as those who departed. 

As for core holdovers (all of them), it’s on the shoulders of that group to set the tone as the leaders they are. A defensive Mitch Marner said after the loss on Tuesday in Edmonton that “we’re a great hockey team,” a summation that can only be applied when considering what the Leafs did during the regular season last year.

Winning one playoff round does not amount to greatness. Winning 21 of your first 42 games (only half, for the mathematically challenged) the following season does not amount to greatness.

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Never mind being worried about what’s being said about team on the outside, as Marner sometimes implies. How about being fully accountable to each other in the dressing room?

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The Leafs were home and cooled out at this point last year, certain they were going to finish in the top three in the Atlantic Division. That’s what happened and a first-round triumph against the Tampa Bay Lightning resulted before the Florida Panthers took out the Leafs in five games in the second round. 

Now, the Leafs’ concern is not about catching the Boston Bruins (61 points to lead the Atlantic) or the Panthers (in second with 57 points). It’s about holding off the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning, both with 49 points before Wednesday’s games. The Leafs, with 50 points, were in third in the division before the Wings played at Florida on Wednesday night. 

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The fact is if the Leafs are as good as they think they are, they wouldn’t have coughed up leads as much as they have. Let’s not kid ourselves. The Leafs haven’t been clipping along without a care in the world. Take away the past eight games — four wins and four losses. The Leafs were 17-10-7 after losing to Carolina on Dec. 30. It’s not a season that has been marked by consistently sharp hockey. 

The Leafs have won 13 games in regulation. Of the seven teams with fewer, none have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. 

Where is the greatness in that?

That Keefe can’t trust the players he has, now beyond the halfway point, is as much an indictment of the roster as it is on the coaching staff to get it to work.  

There shouldn’t be trust issues midway through January. Keefe mentioned that the Leafs who aren’t new have pushed through similar stretches before. 

In 2022-23, the Leafs ended a four-game losing streak on Nov. 2 with a win against Philadelphia. In the 71 games that followed, they didn’t lose more than two in a row again.

Will Keefe continue to get a chance to coach this group if the losses continue? If the Leafs turn it around to an extent, will Treliving be able to make the additions the team still will need? 

Much to be determined, eh?

What’s true is that right now this Leafs team (emphasis on team) isn’t as good as it was last year.

The players wearing the sweater now might not accept that, but it’s a fact.

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X: @koshtorontosun

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