Maple Leafs showing few signs of ironing out early wrinkles

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If the Maple Leafs believe this small period of adversity at the start of the regular season can ultimately be beneficial, then so be it.

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What if, however, what we've seen with the Leafs and their 3-3-1 start is a glimpse of who they are as a team?

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Seven games is admittedly a small sample size. However, the Leafs were outsmarted and outsmarted in several games. couldn't keep up with the faster and better New Jersey Devils the group lost 5-2 Tuesday night at Scotiabank Arena.

Issues that should have been largely ironed out during the six-game preseason – getting new players comfortable in new surroundings, figuring out who fits best where – have seeped into the big games.

After the Leafs held an extra practice Wednesday at the Ford Performance Center, coach Craig Berube said, “It's definitely something I'm thinking about,” when asked if he would stick with William Nylander at right wing with the captain. Auston Matthews and Matthew Nice on the top line.

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Who will remain on the right flank of the first line?

This is what the Leafs have already come to. Now we can see why general manager Brad Treliving said over the summer that he wanted to add another top-six hitter. This desire has not diminished.

Matias Maccelli, Easton Cowan and Max Domi rotated on the right flank along with Matthews, and none of them were satisfactory. Neither Maccelli, who has one goal and one assist, nor Domi are among the top six forwards in the National Hockey League, and certainly not on a team with Stanley Cup aspirations—no matter how realistic those hopes may or may not be.

Cowan has the potential to one day be a top-six player, but right now it's too much to ask of a 20-year-old in his rookie season, even with impressive hockey resume compiled by Cowan with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.

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It's only October, but Berube already feels the need to provide a spark under Nylander, whose 13 points are tied for second in the NHL through Tuesday's games.

Matthews, meanwhile, has six points in seven games, and of his four goals, two came into empty nets. Neither was among the nine Leafs skaters on the ice Wednesday.

In short, the Leafs are already really missing Mitch Marner during the regular season, aren't they?

Chris Tanev “questionable”

Because Berube is trying to make it work on the top line, not to mention the forward group as a whole. there are concerns about Chris Tanev's health.

The Leafs' top defenseman, bar none, is “in doubt” moving forward after he suffered an upper-body injury in the second period against the Devils.

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This is the word Bérubé used to describe Tanev's status. While the coach didn't go so far as to rule Tanev out for home games against the Buffalo Sabers on Friday and Saturday, the club doesn't like the idea of ​​the veteran missing a game at any time.

Philippe Myers, the likely replacement, is not Tanev.

We'll have a better idea when the Leafs practice fully on Thursday before heading to the QEW in Buffalo.

Some good news: Center Scott Laughton can skate for the first time Thursday since suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 2.

It also has to be disappointing that the Leafs came up short in a home game against five teams that could have made a big statement. Instead, the Leafs won just twice and will post back-to-back losses at Customs on the way to Buffalo.

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Berube prides himself on having a strong defensive team, but the Leafs continue to lose ground to outside offenses.

Last season, the Leafs were also one of the best second-period teams in the NHL, as their plus-28 goal differential was second only to Winnipeg's record plus 31. Heading into Wednesday's games, the Leafs' minus-7 goal differential was the worst in the NHL.

What is behind the problems of chemistry?

According to Berube, one of the reasons for Toronto's problems is the lack of chemistry between the players. But that's not all.

“For me, it’s more mental,” Berube said. “We have to come together for 60 minutes. We have to play our identity for 60 minutes and understand what we need to do to be successful.”

“Our whole team as a whole, in my opinion, shoots itself in the foot at different points in the game when it doesn't need to. We didn't do that last year. If we lost a game, we know we didn't shoot ourselves in the foot. We just got beat. Maybe they were the better team that night. Maybe a couple bounces went their way.”

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“It feels like we're playing almost 50/50 hockey, but we don't want to do that. We want to play according to our personality. We want to be a cohesive team, controlling, tight defensively.”

The desire to be this team and consistently play like this is one thing.

It's another thing entirely if this group, as it stands now, is beyond the reach of producing such a tight game every time.

The Leafs currently have a record of being a .500 team.

If they're better than that, some evidence will please fans who have taken the first step in their annual bout of impatience.

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