Begging the Maple Leafs: Don’t Go Back to Last Season’s

Watching the Toronto Maple Leafs give away a two-goal third-period lead against Buffalo on Thursday night brought back some uncomfortable memories. For a while, Jim Hiller looked a little like Craig Berube did last season, when the instinct seemed to be to protect a lead rather than keep playing the kind of hockey that got the team there in the first place.

Maybe that's an unfair comparison after one game. Hiller deserves time to put his own stamp on this team. But the 5-4 overtime loss to the Sabres raised a question worth asking: Are the Maple Leafs going to play to win, or are they going to spend too much time worrying about making a mistake?

When Playing It Safe Becomes the Maple Leafs’ Risk.

Here's something I've learned watching hockey for a long time. When skilled players start worrying too much about making mistakes, they can end up gripping their sticks a little too tightly. They hesitate. They pass up opportunities. They start thinking about what might go wrong instead of trusting what they can do.

That's not a recipe for good offensive hockey. The Maple Leafs have players who can skate, make plays, and score goals. When they have a lead, I want to see them use those skills intelligently, not abandon them. There's nothing wrong with being responsible defensively, but there's a difference between managing a game and inviting the other team to take it over.

Against Buffalo, Toronto struggled to generate offence as the Sabres pushed back. The Maple Leafs seemed to spend too much time reacting to Buffalo instead of making Buffalo worry about them. Once that happens, the pressure builds, and suddenly every shift becomes about surviving rather than creating something.

That's when players can tighten up. And when a team has offensive talent, it's a shame to see it disappear just when the game gets interesting.

What About Gavin McKenna?

The handling of rookie Gavin McKenna added another wrinkle to the night. He spent the final 32 minutes and 54 seconds on the bench, and Hiller later acknowledged he intended to get him back in the game but didn't.

The coach has to own that decision. But I wonder whether it also speaks to a larger question about how the Maple Leafs approach a lead. When the game gets tight, does the team become more conservative, and do players who might help create offence end up watching instead?

I'm not suggesting McKenna should play every shift regardless of the situation. He's a rookie, and there will be nights when he needs to learn. But if the message becomes that avoiding mistakes matters more than making plays, that's a problem for any young player trying to develop confidence.

Please, Coach Hiller, Let's Not Go Backward.

One game doesn't define Hiller, and nobody expects the Maple Leafs to play recklessly. They have to learn how to protect leads. They also have to recognize that continuing to attack can be part of protecting one.

I don't want to spend another season watching skilled players look over their shoulders, afraid that one mistake will land them in trouble. (I'm thinking especially of William Nylander, who I believe suffered under that approach last season.) I want to see them play with confidence, move their feet, make plays, and show their offensive talent.

That's more enjoyable hockey to watch, and it might be a better way to win, too. The Maple Leafs don't need to return to last season's habits. They need to find a balance between responsibility and freedom, between knowing when to defend and knowing when to keep pushing.

Let's hope Thursday was a one-off, not a preview.