An Ex CO's Guide to the 2024/2025 Leafs

 Anyone who has worked in law enforcement in any capacity knows all to well the importance of debriefing after an incident. Whether it be a random use of force, cell extraction, or unit search; the debrief is where the learning happens. During the debrief , there are three questions that are always asked by your team leader. 

1. What went well?

2. What didn't go well?

3. What can we do differently next time?

Now, I don't know if my PTSD comes from working in corrections or being a Leafs fan for over 20 years (it's more likely the latter...let's be honest here), but nonetheless, these three questions are critical when it comes to establishing future success. Now, this isn't law enforcement, but when your leader goes by the nickname "Chief", I can imagine some similar principles are utilized. 

We are almost at the halfway point of the season, let's look at these questions and apply them to our Buds...

 What went well?

Safety between the pipes. 

After 31 games, the Maple Leafs goaltending looks like the absolute real deal. It was something I was excited (albeit stressed) about going into the season, as I knew very little about our King Stolie and while the Brick Woll has had flashes of genius, he has struggled to stay healthy. Yes...we did just find out that Stolarz will be out for a few weeks which is less than ideal, but Joe Woll has been damn near as phenomenal as Stolarz this season so far. To have two of the top five goalies statistically wearing the Blue and White is something that I have never seen in my lifetime, and it's a luxury I do not take for granted. 

Next. Man. Up. 

This is a cliché mentality that we hear all of the time in sports, but it's so important. The Maple Leafs have unfortunately had to embrace this cliché and have flourished under this mentality. It's no secret that the injury bug has plagued the Leafs this season but it has given us an opportunity to not only try out new combinations early on, but also put our depth to the test. We have seen the likes of Nikita Grebenkin, Fraser Minten, Philippe Meyers, and even Baby Bro Nylander play games for the team through the first quarter of the season, and for the most part...all have proven to be serviceable options if needed. 

Honorable mention : Our defense is finally respectable and I love it. 

What didn't go well?

Nicky Bobby

Now this may become a mute point based off of his last couple games, but Nick Robertson has not been good enough. It's been clear that he has been gripping the stick a little too tight. He set himself up for a "prove it" season and it has simply not been working for him. Maybe this new look third line dubbed by the Sportsnet crew as the "Remedy Line" could be just what he needs but I'm going to need more than a couple good games to be convinced that he belongs in the top 12. I could definitely see him being a trade chip in the next month or so. 

Pontus NO-lmerg

Time and time again, plays go to die on this kids stick. I genuinely believe that if the Leafs were fully healthy, he wouldn't have seen more than 5-7 games this season up to this point. His defensive play has been respectable but when team defense is a huge strength and secondary scoring is a massive issue, Pontus Holmberg cannot be in your lineup. I know most people will disagree, but sometimes you have to take away from a strength to address a weakness.

Side piece (we've all got one) - STOP GETTING HURT!!!

What can we do differently?

This one always stumped me in debriefs because I always wondered why we asked what can we do differently if we already discussed what went badly. After many years of experience and trauma though, I have learned that "What went badly" is not solutions based...so here's what I would do if I were Brad Treliving and/or Craig Berube moving forward. 

Dial in the bottom 6.

I know I mentioned earlier, but if this "Remedy Line" works out long term, then I'd be happy to wipe my own ass with this article. The secondary scoring has been an issue for the majority of this season, and we can't always count on the big dogs to eat. I was a massive fan of Fraser Minten while he was playing but I don't see him being the solution (at least for this year). If we want playoff success, a 3rd line center will be needed. The top two on my wishlist: Brock Nelson or Yanni Gourde. Ryan O'rielly would be ideal but after his comments about playing in Toronto, I genuinely don't see him agreeing to a move. 

No Mo Moves For Mo.

Morgan friggin Rielly man, this poor bastard just can't seem to keep a partner. Coming into this season we were all convinced that hit would be a problem of the past with the addition of Chris Tanev. But alas, Big Daddy Mo finds himself on the carousel of D partners. We are 31 games in and he's already had lengthy stints of playing time with the likes of not only Tanev, but OEL and Philippe Meyers. If this is still an issue at the 50 game mark, we're going to have some problems. The final quarter of the season is where line mates need to gel and stick together to prepare for a (hopefully) long playoff run. I like him with OEL and I hope that Chief gives that some more time to marinate. 

As  Leafs fan, it is our duty to be obnoxiously optimistic year in and year out and always let people know that "this is our year". I have tried to stay even keeled this season and although I clearly have my issues with this team, it honestly just feels different this year. Expectations seemed lower going in, and we've spent the majority of the season thus far at the top of the division. Is this our year? Only time will tell!

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season filled with love, food, and ice cold bevy's. Cheers Leafs Nation!