Jim Hiller has reached the point where the soft approach is no longer enough for the Maple Leafs.
Twenty games into the season, Toronto is stuck near the bottom of the Atlantic Division after losing the first four games of a demanding homestand against some of the NHL’s best. The Leafs didn’t pick up a single point in that stretch, and with U.S.
Thanksgiving looming, the margin for patience is shrinking fast. If Hiller wants to jolt this team out of its slide, the answer may be as simple - and as uncomfortable - as cutting into the ice time of his biggest names.
William Nylander is the clearest example. Before this homestand, he was right behind Auston Matthews as Toronto’s top offensive driver and one of the team’s most important players.
But over these four games, he has managed just one goal and sits at minus-seven. Among Leafs forwards, he has been on the ice for the second-most goals against at even strength, with 25.
The effort has also come into question. In recent games, Nylander has looked too loose in puck battles, a familiar frustration for Leafs fans.
He finished Tuesday’s 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche without a shot on goal. When he met the media on Wednesday, the right winger acknowledged that he needs to work harder to win the puck and keep possession.
Toronto’s issues are not limited to Nylander, either. In goal, Sergei Bobrovsky started against Colorado and turned in another rough outing.
It was his 13th start of the season, and the 12th time he has allowed three or more goals. His .881 save percentage ranks 45th among qualified goaltenders, while his goals-against average sits 57th.
Anthony Stolarz, meanwhile, has won five of his seven starts and ranks in the top 20 in both categories.
That gap has left plenty of people wondering why Stolarz hasn’t been used more often. Bobrovsky is known as a slow starter, but the Leafs have stuck to their rotation plan. General manager John Chayka has said the club has a plan for the goalie usage and intends to follow it, even if that approach is costing Toronto points.
The Avalanche game also showed how quickly the Leafs can be punished when their veteran units stall. Late in the second period, Toronto had a power play with a chance to climb back into a 3-1 game.
The first unit, loaded with veterans, barely got into the Colorado zone and came up empty. Then the second group, featuring Gavin McKenna and Easton Cowan, immediately created pressure.
Cowan scored just after the penalty ended, giving Toronto a spark heading into the third.
That contrast is hard to ignore. Matthews and Jack Roslovic have done what the Leafs have asked of them over the first 20 games. Nylander, John Tavares - who can be excused coming off an injury - and Bobrovsky need to give more.
Hiller has already shown he’s willing to sit McKenna while the rookie works through the usual growing pains of adapting to the NHL. Cowan, on the other hand, has been one of Toronto’s best players through the first 20 games. If the coach is going to keep demanding more from the young guys, it’s fair to ask for the same accountability from the veterans.
That could mean fewer even-strength minutes for Nylander and Tavares if their play doesn’t improve. It could mean giving McKenna or Cowan another look on the top power-play unit, even if only for a shift or two. It could even mean riding Stolarz for three or four games if he keeps outperforming Bobrovsky.
Hiller may prefer to protect his veterans and give them more rope than the younger players. But after 20 games, the Leafs are past the point of waiting for things to sort themselves out. If he wants to stop the slide, he needs to make a tougher call now.
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