Toronto's power play could be its most dangerous weapon in the Matthews era

With the addition of Daniel Alfredsson to the coaching staff and Jim Hiller's expertise, the Maple Leafs power-play has the potential to be elite come 2026-27.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have undergone a real makeover this offseason. First they traded away names like Joseph Woll, Dennis Hildeby, and Simon Benoit while bringing in new faces like Darren Raddysh, Sergei Bobrovsky, Nick Paul, and most importantly - Gavin McKenna.

But their changes haven't just been solely regarding the lineup, as the team made several changes to the front office and coaching staff in the hopes of adding new voices and new perspectives to a team desperately in need of fresh faces.

Toronto's lineup and coaching changes clearly had the power-play in mind

John Chayka is in as GM, Mats Sundin is a senior advisor, they added Freddie Hamilton and Judd Brackett as well, not to mention an overhaul of the coaching staff where we saw Jim Hiller replace Craig Berube alongside brand new assistants John Gruden, Brad Werenka, and Daniel Alfredsson.

It's going to make the Maple Leafs more exciting to watch for sure, but with the combination of these additions and the new coaching staff we could be looking at something dangerous that should put the rest of the league on notice: the power-play.

Toronto's been a mixed bag when it comes to the power-play. They have ranked in the top of the league and the bottom of the league and everywhere in between, and they need something stable to get themselves on track.

Adding Hiller is already a great start since he's a power-play maestro, he ran the Maple Leafs power-play under Mike Babcock when he was an assistant coach, and has always had great success.

But the addition of Alfredsson to take over the power-play is a huge asset that can't be overlooked. He's someone who ran the power-play in Ottawa and ran it to great success, so the two of them combined could come up with some creative possibilities.

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Plus you just added a premier playmaker in Gavin McKenna, who can feed players like Auston Matthews and William Nylander for scoring chances, but they also added one of the deadliest players on the man advantage in Darren Raddysh.

Flourishing on the power-play, 10 of Raddysh's 22 goals came on the power-play, and his ability to fire 100 MPH+ shots is a facet of the offence we genuinely have not seen in any version of the Matthews era.

What Toronto's power-play could look like and why it's so lethal

Here is the potential first and second units for the power-play, and given the new coaching staff and perspective - it could thrive.

Unit 1:

Roslovic - Matthews - Nylander

McKenna - Raddysh

Unit 2:

Joshua - Tavares - Knies

Andrae - Cowan

Look, it's not perfect but let's see how it can work. The first unit has Roslovic and Matthews' chemistry alongside Nylander's deadly shot. Add in McKenna's playmaking and Raddysh's fireball and you're looking at a potent group.

But don't count out the second unit as John Tavares and Easton Cowan are fantastic playmakers while Matthew Knies can play the front of the net with Joshua.

Now I know it seems weird to put Emil Andrae out there, but he has 246 shots over his last two seasons and someone who can pinch if needed (with Cowan able to help speed back and defend).

You're going to have a much more mobile, shot-oriented, and creative group of players combined with a coaching staff that is known to maximize that potential on the man advantage. It's a match made in heaven and it's going to be Toronto's greatest weapon in their climb up the Atlantic Division.

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