John Tavares fights in front of the net (David Kirouac, Getty Images)
Despite outshooting the Montreal Canadiens 51-18 at the Bell Centre, a stunning performance from Jake Allen kept the Leafs from securing what should have been an easy two points.
Here are my 5 takeaways from yet another frustratingly stale match against the Habs.
1. William Nylander Needs to Step Up
Considering the Leafs' strengths have been considered to be incredible offensive depth and talent, their second line really isn't producing nearly enough. John Tavares looks way slower than he ever did before and I'm getting frustrated that he makes $10 million a year just to be the "tip-in guy". However, at least Tavares rarely hinders the Leafs, because he is a positive defensive player.
William Nylander, by contrast, relies entirely on producing offense to provide value. Currently, he isn't managing that in the slightest. Sure, he scored tonight on the power play, but that's the least you want from the talented Swede. His poor man-marking on the David Savard goal led to Sheldon Keefe demoting him to the third line. On the third line, he wasn't able to produce enough even strength offense.
Nylander's obvious talent is still on display, but he is still capable of hurting Toronto's chances with lacklustre effort in his own zone. His play-driving has fallen off as well. He is no longer able to keep the puck in the offensive zone like he could in the latter half of 2021. We need Nylander to be an utter star, because if the Leafs' offense isn't enough to make up for their goal prevention difficulties.
Step up, Willy.
2. Is Rielly Our Worst Defenseman?
Short answer: no.
But Rielly's struggles are looking more and more evident as his fellow defensemen improve around him. Rielly's relentless pinching and lack of defensive recovery are hurting the Leafs. The Vancouver native is a smooth skater and a very direct passer. However, he has way too much offensive inclination. He sacrifices defensive solidity for unnecessary forays into the offensive zone.
On Paul Byron's winner, Rielly was way too deep in Montreal's zone. When Auston Matthews was tripped by Paul Byron (by the way, my verdict is that I'm pretty sure it's a penalty on Matthews, but it wasn't as blatant as the hold on Matthews against Arizona recently), Rielly wasn't able to get back in time. That's literally his job as a number 1 defenseman: play defense.
On the bright side, every other defenseman on the team is looking more and more comfortable. Ilya Lyubsukin is generating offense and lowering the boom every single game. Mark Giordano was probably Toronto's best player in Montreal and he looks like a brilliant acquisition. Justin Holl has been revitalized by TJ Brodie. Timothy Liljegren is acting a bit more responsible defensively, while also showcasing PP2 upside.
Like William Nylander, Morgan Rielly can't be a liability defensively, especially if his even strength production remains mild.
3. STOP THROWING AWAY POINTS
Funnily enough, it may benefit the Leafs to finish fourth in the division. Personally, I'd rather play against Carolina than Florida or Tampa Bay. Nevertheless, the Leafs could have had a chance to cut down the gap to the Florida Panthers atop the Atlantic Division. But after losing in Montreal against the worst team in the league and watching the Panthers pick up two points after a comeback victory in Ottawa, the gap is even bigger. Toronto has a huge game tonight against Florida that could be a must-win to keep them in the fight for a top-3 spot in the Atlantic.
The Leafs always seem to play fairly well against top contenders, but they play down to lesser opponents too often. While I'm not insinuating that Toronto played down to the Canadiens last night (they outplayed them from start to finish), it definitely wasn't their best effort of the season.
If they are to have any chance of winning the Atlantic, the Leafs probably can't afford to toss away any more points against non-playoff teams.
4. Nick Abruzzese Signs an ELC
Wayne Simmonds' struggles only increased the need for an influx of youthful skill on the fourth line. After the end of Harvard's season in the NCAA, Kyle Dubas pounced and inked young center Nick Abruzzese to an entry-level contract. It's a smart opportunity as Abruzzese has garnered many plaudits for his two-way play and leadership.
Next is Matthew Knies. He helped the Minnesota Golden Gophers advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, but once the tourney is over, he should join the team. I'm traumatized by stories like that of Adam Fox, whom Calgary wasn't able to bring to the NHL. He then went to the New York Rangers where he developed into one of the best defensemen in the league. If Knies is as good as people say he is, Dubas needs to sign him soon. He might even be good enough to be a part of this team in the playoffs.
5. Kent Hughes: Certified Mastermind
It takes more than one trade deadline to earn status as a top-tier GM. But new Montreal Canadiens GM Kent Hughes is on the right track.
At the deadline, Hughes traded Brett Kulak, Andrew Hammond, Artturi Lehkonen, Ben Chiarot and Tyler Toffoli. In exchange for those pieces, Hughes acquired William Lagesson, Nathan Schnarr, Justin Barron, Ty Smilanic, Tyler Pitlick, Emil Heineman, 2 1st-round picks, 2 2nd-round picks, 2 4th-round picks, 1 5th-round pick and 1 7th-round pick.
That's world-class business and it will go a long way to speeding up Montreal's rebuild. The salary cap situation looks a lot more manageable now and the team is younger. Martin St. Louis has showed enough promise in his first 20 games as bench boss to prove that he deserves an opportunity to be the full-time coach. The Habs were a disaster club just a few weeks ago, but the hire of Hughes has coincided with a major rise in excitement in the fanbase.
ALL STATS COURTESY OF MONEYPUCK AND NATURAL STAT TRICK
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