Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Marchenko, Cowan, Paul, Sissons & Tavares

The Toronto Maple Leafs are only a few games into the season, so I’m trying not to draw too many conclusions. Three games can tell us something, but three games can also fool us. That’s part of the fun — and frustration — of watching a hockey season unfold.

Still, a couple of things are worth watching right now. One is bigger than any individual player: the Maple Leafs appear to be trying to become a team that controls the puck and dictates play. The other is a little more encouraging: one of their lines is already showing what that kind of hockey can look like.

The Maple Leafs May Finally Be Trying to Control Games

For the past couple of seasons, the Maple Leafs simply haven’t had enough of the puck. Last season they finished last in the NHL in 5-on-5 shot-attempt share, and the year they won their division they finished 29th but were helped enormously by excellent goaltending.

That’s why the Kirill Marchenko trade makes a little more sense to me the more I think about it. This isn’t necessarily about whether Marchenko is a better overall player than Matthew Knies. It’s about what kind of player Toronto believes it needs. Marchenko is an elite line driver who can carry the puck through the neutral zone, get to the middle of the ice and create shots for himself and his linemates.

John Chayka essentially said the same thing when he explained the trade. Toronto needs players who can dictate play consistently and sustainably. That’s a pretty important word: sustainably.

The Maple Leafs won’t fix last season’s puck-possession problem with one trade. But if Marchenko can help Auston Matthews and William Nylander spend more time attacking with the puck, rather than chasing it, that’s a meaningful change. Maybe that’s what Toronto is really trying to build.

Easton Cowan’s Line Is Showing the Maple Leafs What They Need

Here’s the funny thing: while everybody is watching the stars, the line of Easton Cowan, Nick Paul and Colton Sissons has been doing exactly the kind of work Toronto needs. Through the first few games, that group has been up 25–10 in shot attempts. Cowan has been carrying the puck and making plays, while Paul and Sissons are doing the dirty work of getting to the net, working the walls and playing responsibly without the puck. They’ve also been getting some difficult matchups.

That’s a pretty good combination. And it makes the second line’s struggles stand out even more. John Tavares has two assists through three games, which isn’t actually much different from where he was after three games last season. So I’m not ready to write anything off yet.

But the Maple Leafs need that line to contribute. You can’t have one group controlling the puck while another line spends its shifts defending. That’s where the early-season questions become interesting. Maybe the answer is simply more time. Maybe it’s a line change. Either way, Toronto needs more than individual talent. It needs combinations that work.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

For me, the thing to watch isn’t simply who scores the next goal. It’s who controls the next shift. The Maple Leafs are trying to build a different kind of team, and early signs suggest puck possession and sustained pressure are becoming more important than hoping their best players can create something. Marchenko is part of that experiment. So are Cowan, Paul and Sissons. If those players can keep driving play, Toronto has something to build on.

The other question is whether the rest of the lineup catches up. The Tavares line needs to contribute. The power play needs time to find its rhythm. The breakout needs to get cleaner. But those are fixable problems if the underlying idea is sound. Maybe that’s the most interesting thing about these first few games. The Maple Leafs aren’t finished figuring themselves out. But at least they appear to be trying to figure out the right problem.