Former Maple Leafs star urges for change and “hurt feelings” over team’s powerplay struggles

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Oct 26, 2024 04:01 GMT

Former Toronto Maple Leafs player turned broadcaster Jeff O’Neill has addressed the team's power play issues. He believes the Leafs need to change their lineup, even if it upsets some players.

The Leafs have started well with a 4-3-0 record on the back of strong goaltending and good scoring depth. However, their power play has been a weak spot, currently ranked 26th in the league with a 12.5% success rate. O’Neill suggested that a shake-up might be necessary:

“It might be time to pull one of them off and hurt someone’s feelings."

The Maple Leafs' power play has only three goals in 23 chances. Head coach Craig Berube and assistant coach Marc Savard are working with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to improve this area.

Savard, a former power play specialist, is under pressure to find solutions. Berube expressed his confidence in Savard and shared his frustrations with the players.

"They’re getting opportunities, but they’re not going in," Berube said (via torontosun.com), noting issues with shot accuracy and missed opportunities to create scrambles in front of the net.

The Leafs have shown effort and skill overall, but discipline is a concern. They average 10 minor penalties per game, which weakens their five-on-five play and puts extra pressure on the penalty kill. While the penalty kill is effective at 85%, it cannot cover every mistake.

Mitch Marner calls for simpler approach to boost Maple Leafs' power play efficiency

During practice, Craig Berube has been making small lineup changes to boost scoring chances and cut down turnovers. Core players like Matthews, Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander, and Oliver Ekman-Larsson remain on the first power play unit, though forward Matthew Knies may join if progress isn’t made.

Marner and others have noted the issues, suggesting that a simpler approach might be more effective.

“Just be straightforward,” Marner said. “We don’t need to score on every single shot we take. We have to try and create a little scrum in front of the net, kick out pucks. And that’s when their penalty-killers start running around and getting out of sorts.”

Max Domi, Steven Lorentz, and Nick Robertson are adjusting to new line combinations as Berube fine-tunes the roster. The Maple Leafs are focusing on reducing penalties and improving their power play to make the most of their talent against tough opponents.