Jim Hiller is already feeling the heat, and the problem isn’t that he hasn’t tried to load up his roster. It’s that the way the lineup is taking shape has people wondering whether there’s enough edge in the top six to make it work.
The Maple Leafs have spent the offseason reshaping the group, bringing in new faces and moving out longtime players, with Gavin McKenna’s arrival adding to the buzz around the team. After two years of Craig Berube’s slow, plodding style, there’s real hope that Hiller can bring back some energy and give the fanbase something different to latch onto.
But not everyone is sold on how the forwards are being arranged.
Anthony Petrielli of Maple Leafs Hot Stove took aim at the construction of the top six, arguing that the group is heavy on skill and light on bite. As he put it:
“Collectively, the top six is almost all skill. Nick Paul and Easton Cowan aren't exactly prime Wendel, but at least they bring some bite and physicality to the group. I would sooner watch one of them in the top six than run a top six that is pretty much all skill.”
That criticism lands because Hiller’s approach appears to be built around talent concentration. The issue, though, is that the lines don’t seem to offer much in the way of defence or possession support.
Auston Matthews is a strong two-way presence, and Jack Roslovic can fill a useful secondary role, but Matthew Knies has not clicked in the top line spot the way the team likely hoped. The missing ingredient, at least in this view, is the kind of physicality and relentless mentality that can help him thrive next to Matthews without Mitch Marner.
The comparison to the Sheldon Keefe era is hard to miss. Petrielli’s point echoes a familiar Maple Leafs complaint from years past: too much skill up front, not enough pushback.
The difference then was Marner’s possession game helped balance things out. That same safety net isn’t there now.
The second line also raises questions. A group featuring McKenna, Tavares, and Nylander would bring plenty of talent, but not much reason to expect strong defensive results. Tavares is still reliable, but at 35 years old, he shouldn’t be expected to serve as the main defensive anchor or puck hunter on the line.
As Petrielli noted:
“No contender will be overly concerned about that line because it will have proper depth and two-way players to match against it.”
That leaves McKenna in a tricky spot if he’s going to thrive. He’ll need to handle both ends of the ice without wearing down, and the solution may not be moving him so much as moving someone else around him.
One suggested adjustment would be to slide Paul next to Matthews and Nylander, giving the line a more balanced feel and taking some of the burden off the stars. Paul can be the all-situations piece who does a little of everything, while Nylander would get another chance with Matthews, something that has worked before.
That would also open the door for a more energetic second unit with McKenna, Tavares, and Cowan. Cowan’s puck-hound style fits that group, and the pairing could also help build chemistry between two players who may be linked for years to come.
Hiller deserves credit for trying to add more offense. The concern is whether he’s stacking too much of it in one place. If the lineup stays too top-heavy, the whole thing could get shaky fast.
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