A few of the Maple Leafs’ most familiar assumptions may not be as fixed as they sound.
John Tavares is often filed away as a player whose skating has slipped. Gavin McKenna is treated like a natural fit for the top line from day one.
Easton Cowan gets slotted in as a winger without much debate. But in August, before anyone has hit the ice, those ideas deserve a second look.
Tavares, for one, may not be nearly as slow as the reputation suggests. NHL EDGE tracking data points to a bigger gap between the way he’s talked about and the way he actually produces.
He’s never been a player built around speed anyway. His game has always leaned on his hands, his positioning, his hockey sense and his ability to find the dangerous areas around the net.
Even if he has lost a step, that doesn’t automatically change his value the way it might for someone whose game is built on pace, like William Nylander. Tavares can still arrive where he needs to be, and expecting him to score 20-plus goals over the next couple of seasons doesn’t sound far-fetched.
McKenna’s situation is different, but the same logic applies. The instinct is to put a first overall pick beside Auston Matthews right away.
That’s the obvious move. It also may not be the best one.
If Matthew Knies stays at his natural left-wing spot, McKenna could open on the second line with Tavares and William Nylander. That would hardly be a step down.
It could actually be a pretty comfortable way to ease him into the NHL, while giving Tavares another creative presence and Nylander a linemate who processes the game quickly. If McKenna earns his way onto the top line later, fine.
There’s no reason to lock that in before training camp, or before he’s played a game.
Then there’s Cowan, which might be the most intriguing idea of the three. One reader suggested giving him a look at centre, starting at 3C and eventually working toward the second-line job.
That’s not a wild thought. Cowan has the competitiveness and intelligence to handle the middle of the ice, and a trial run there could tell the Leafs plenty.
It would also give the organization another option if Tavares is unavailable because of injury or eventually moves on through retirement.
No one is asking Toronto to make a huge shift here. Tavares doesn’t need to become faster.
McKenna doesn’t need to begin his NHL career on the first line. Cowan doesn’t need to be a second-line centre right away.
The point is simpler than that: the Leafs may want to look at their roster with fresh eyes and see what actually fits once training camp begins.
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Morgan Rielly Trade Talk Just Got A Crucial New Measuring Stick
The veteran defense market is getting a useful reference point in Detroit, where Justin Faulks situation has become one to watch. The Red Wings brought him in at last years trade deadline, but with turnover on the roster and younger players like Axel Sandin-Pellikka pushing into the picture, his place in the long-term plan is less certain than it once looked.
For the Maple Leafs, that matters because Toronto has been monitoring Faulks market as a way to gauge what a veteran blue-liner with a meaningful cap hit can bring back. Morgan Rielly sits in a different category entirely, with four years left on his deal and a no-movement clause, so any conversation around him is more complicated than a simple like-for-like comparison. Still, if Faulk draws real interest, it could sharpen the Leafs view of just how difficult it would be to move a defenseman on Riellys terms. [Read more 🡒]