Jim Hiller didn’t touch a thing at practice on Friday, and that was the point.
With the Maple Leafs heading into Saturday night’s Battle of Ontario against the Senators, Hiller stuck with the same group that delivered a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders after Toronto opened the season with a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The only expected change is in goal, where Sergei Bobrovsky will start in place of Anthony Stolarz, a switch that was already all but set given the two-day break and Bobrovsky’s role as the team’s dedicated No. 1 starter.
That means Toronto is rolling into Ottawa with a lineup that’s beginning to settle, and Easton Cowan remains the name driving the early scoring. Gavin McKenna is still waiting for his first point, but Cowan has been the early standout as the Leafs try to build on that bounce-back win.
The matchup itself has all the ingredients of a typical Battle of Ontario: heated, intense, and demanding. Ottawa will also be without Brady Tkachuk, which changes the look of the Senators quite a bit as they try to slow down a Maple Leafs group that is still finding its rhythm.
One player worth watching is Kirill Marchenko, who took part in his first practice on Friday and looked eager to get back to work. He gives the top line another layer as Toronto continues to sort out its forward group.
Still, the biggest question hanging over the lineup sits on the second line.
The McKenna-Tavares-Nylander combination has talent in abundance, but the production has not matched the names. Against New York, that line managed just three shot attempts while allowing 19 the other way, and it produced only one real scoring chance. The bottom six had to do the heavy lifting.
That’s where the concern starts. The group has been exposed defensively, and the issue isn’t subtle. They’ve had trouble winning the puck back, and when they do get it, it hasn’t stayed with them long.
One possible fix would be to spread the talent around more evenly. That could mean dropping Nylander to the third line with Cowan and Nick Paul, a setup that could make sense because Nylander already has chemistry with Cowan, while Paul can help cover some of the defensive gaps.
It would be a notable move for a 40-goal scorer, but if Toronto keeps running the current second line out there, the same problems may keep showing up. At some point, Hiller may have to make the real bold call and break up a group that has looked promising on paper but hasn’t truly clicked yet.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Prospect Suddenly Faces A Troubling Silence Overseas
Victor Johanssons situation in Sweden has become one of those quiet developments that can linger in the background until it suddenly matters more. The Toronto Maple Leafs defensive prospect was expected to be part of Brynas mix in the SHL, but he has not played this season and was not seen in preseason action, leaving a notable gap for a young player whose progress the organization is still tracking.
What makes the absence more unsettling is the lack of clarity around it. Reports from Sweden suggest Johansson is dealing with an unspecified issue, yet there has been no official update to explain the delay or outline a timeline, which leaves both Brynas and the Maple Leafs waiting for information on a prospect whose future now feels less certain than it did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Hiller Sent A Message Leafs Fans Have Been Waiting For
Jim Hillers first few turns behind the Maple Leafs bench have already offered a little glimpse of what this new era might look like. In the recent 2-1 win over the New York Islanders, the new head coach was willing to make lineup and in-game adjustments, and he has shown an early willingness to hold his best players to the same standard as everyone else. That matters in Toronto, where fans have spent years waiting to see a coach make quick, firm decisions when the game demands them.
Hiller has also shown a more patient side in how he handles his forward groups, keeping combinations together as the team works through a summer of roster turnover under general manager John Chayka. The balance is what stands out: accountability in the moment, but restraint when it comes to chemistry and development. For a Leafs team trying to find a cleaner identity, the next question is whether that approach will hold when the pressure ramps up and the power play faces another big test. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Trade Of Matthew Knies Raises An Ugly Question About Toronto
Matthew Knies move from the Maple Leafs to the Columbus Blue Jackets, in a deal involving Kirill Marchenko, has left a familiar kind of aftertaste around Toronto. The trade itself was surprising enough, but it also reopened the conversation about how the organization handles young players who are trying to establish themselves and figure out where they fit in the bigger picture.
Knies agent, Matt Frederico, made clear he was frustrated with the way things were handled, arguing that the player needed clarity about whether Toronto actually saw him as part of its plans. The contract extension Knies signed did not include trade protection, which gave the Maple Leafs the flexibility to make the move and left an ugly question hanging over the franchises approach to one of its younger pieces. [Read more 🡒]