Maple leafs are finally changing Auston Matthews' role on the power play
Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to be changing up the power play following their unsuccessful "five-forward" approach, according to a report.
The Leafs power play is getting a reboot as the team's attempt at utilizing the offense of their power play group struggled to find it's scoring touch.
Toronto attempted to play a full forward PP that didn't go as planned as the Leafs went 0/3 in their previous game against the Florida Panthers.
The planned changes revolve around Auston Matthews, and could see the Leafs captain shift his duties on the power play tonight vs Carolina.
Darren Dreger reported that Matthews could be moved back to the flank tonight on the power play, meaning that the Leafs could be returning to a 4F-1D approach.
The Leafs struggled to get things going on offense, with Matthews struggling to create entries as the leader of the power play rather than a finishing option.
How moving Auston Matthews back to the flank can jump-start the power play
The Toronto Maple Leafs could return to a traditional power play setup, and might be the best path for Toronto's success.
The Leafs putting all their forwards together didn't work out as the team had wanted, leading to potentially Morgan Rielly back on the PP1, and putting Matthews back up into a finishing role rather than being the team's quarterback.
Putting Matthews back on the flank utilizes the ability for him to do what he does best as a goalscoring threat rather than creating entries and building plays.
The Leafs aren't indicating that they have any panic on the power play, but that there's trust that the previous system worked better for the Leafs special teams, and Matthews on the sides fits his play style better.
What this power play switch really demands from the rest of the Leafs' core
If the Toronto Maple Leafs go back to adding a defenseman to their first power play unit, the obvious choice is Morgan Rielly, who was initially the team's quarterback.
If Toronto wants to make a change, they could look at Oliver Ekman-Larsson at that spot, who has shown himself to be a key offensive contributor for the Leafs this season.
Rielly or Ekman-Larsson could handle the duty of moving the puck up the ice, with Nylander and Tavares as setup option, and Matthews and Knies the finishers.
The Leafs haven't officially made this move, but if they do, it'd be making this move to balance the special teams, but to give their offensive forwards the best scenarios to succeed on the man advantage, with Matthews and others where they can excel best on the PP.
Tonight's game will be a test for if a return to normal is what works best for the Leafs, or if more of a reset is necessary to sort out what works best for the power play.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 4 | 712 ANSWERS Maple leafs are finally changing Auston Matthews' role on the power play Should the Leafs continue their five forward power play? | ||
| Yes | 222 | 31.2 % |
| No | 490 | 68.8 % |
| List of polls | ||