Maple Leafs’ Biggest Change? Not the Players, But How They Play
When a player’s production drops, the easiest explanation is usually the simplest one. Age catches up. Skills decline. The player is no longer the same. Sometimes that answer is correct. But sometimes the bigger story is about fit.
That might be the most interesting question surrounding Morgan Rielly and the Toronto Maple Leafs heading into next season. The conversation has focused on whether Rielly is still the same player he once was. A better question might be whether Toronto asked him to play a style that didn’t match his greatest strengths.
The Maple Leafs asked Rielly to change the way he played.
Under Brad Treliving and Craig Berube, the Maple Leafs clearly wanted to change their identity. They wanted to become bigger, harder, and more difficult to play against. The emphasis was on defending, winning battles, protecting the middle of the ice, and making life uncomfortable for opponents. Rielly responded by bulking up in the weight room, and it slowed his skating.
There is nothing wrong with that philosophy. In fact, playoff hockey often rewards teams that can win physical battles and defend under pressure. But there is another way to defend.
New head coach Jim Hiller is also considered a defence-first coach, but his approach appears to be different. Instead of simply focusing on stopping the other team, the philosophy is built around controlling the puck. If your team has possession, the opponent has fewer opportunities to attack.
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Hiller’s approach may fit Rielly’s game much better than Berube’s did.
Rielly has never been a shutdown defenceman. That has never been his identity. His value has always come from his skating, his vision, his ability to move the puck, and his confidence carrying it through the neutral zone. He has always been at his best when Toronto controlled play and allowed him to use his offensive instincts.
The interesting thing is that Rielly was not the only Maple Leafs star whose numbers declined during the Berube era. Auston Matthews also experienced a dramatic drop in production. When multiple elite players struggle at the same time, it is fair to ask whether the issue is only the players — or whether the environment contributed.
The upcoming season is important to the Maple Leafs.
Perhaps Toronto’s offseason changes were not only about replacing players. Maybe they were about changing how those players are used. For Morgan Rielly, the arrival of Hiller could provide a reset. For the Maple Leafs, it could reveal whether last season was a sign of decline or simply a sign that the team was asking some of its best players to succeed in a system that did not maximize their strengths.
Sometimes improving a team is not about finding different players. Sometimes it is about finding a better way to use the ones you already have.