{"id":139536,"date":"2023-08-05T09:00:23","date_gmt":"2023-08-05T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=139536"},"modified":"2023-08-23T11:11:35","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T15:11:35","slug":"toronto-maple-leafs-offence-returning-to-form","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2023\/08\/05\/toronto-maple-leafs-offence-returning-to-form\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto Maple Leafs Offence Returning to Form"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Leafs have had an interesting off-season, with new GM Brad Treliving taking the helm. Whether you agree with the firing of Kyle Dubas and hiring of Treliving or not, this is what the Leafs front office looks like now. The Toronto Maple Leafs offence is getting some new toys. The Leafs off-season moves under Treliving have seemed to show a shift of focus back to scoring.<\/p>\n<h2>Toronto Maple Leafs Offence Being Fortified<\/h2>\n<p>Contrary to popular belief, the Leafs under Dubas really focused on defensive ability and left scoring to &#8220;The Big 4&#8221;. This was shown in his acquisitions over the years, including <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2021\/05\/09\/evaluating-tj-brodie-first-season-maple-leafs\/\" target=\"_self\">the king of defence<\/a> TJ Brodie, former Selke winner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/o\/oreilry01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ryan O&#8217;Reilly<\/a>, and other key defensive pieces like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/muzzija01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake Muzzin<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mccabja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake McCabe<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/l\/lyubuil01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-04_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ilya Lyubushkin<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/f\/foligni01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nick Foligno<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/nashri02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Riley Nash<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/a\/astonza01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zach Aston-Reese<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kampfda01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Kampf<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/j\/jarnkca01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Calle Jarnkrok<\/a> among many others. These are all players that were good to excellent defensively coming into Toronto. However, it seems depth scoring fell to the wayside under Dubas in his later years. While O&#8217;Reilly was able to contribute offensively, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/muzzija01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-04_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jake Muzzin<\/a> was no slouch for a defenceman when healthy, these players as a whole were not the ones you expect to score goals.<\/p>\n<p>His most offensive acquisitions in recent memory include signing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/buntimi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Bunting<\/a> and depth scoring with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/spezzja01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Spezza<\/a>, trading for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/barrity01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyson Barrie<\/a>, and giving a shot to a shell of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/galchal01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Galchenyuk<\/a>. That&#8217;s a lot of scoring pressure to put on The Core 4. Treliving has come in and at the very least seemingly identified this issue.<\/p>\n<h3>Treliving&#8217;s Off-Season<\/h3>\n<p>Treliving has signed three major players so far. Bringing in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/domima01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Max Domi<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bertuty01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Bertuzzi<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/klingjo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Klingberg<\/a> shows a shift back to an offence-oriented team. While some could, and should, argue Klingberg and Domi give up too much defensively and that this may be swinging too far the other way, it shows a change in thinking. If the Leafs were to deviate from Kyle Dubas as GM, bringing in a worse version of him should not have been the choice. Treliving is showing early he is bringing in different types of players.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/domima01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-04_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Max Domi<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Domi has had some trouble sticking around the past few years. Since he was traded from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/canadiens\/\" target=\"_self\">Montreal Canadiens<\/a> he hasn&#8217;t seemed like the same player. However, reuniting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/marnemi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitch Marner<\/a> and Max Domi could get things going for him again. Throw <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/matthau01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Auston Matthews<\/a> in the mix and it should be Domi&#8217;s best opportunity to succeed in years.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.discordapp.net\/attachments\/1127951897110781963\/1136867187915763774\/Screenshot_20230803-233859.png\" width=\"444\" height=\"459\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><em>Data and visuals from <a href=\"http:\/\/evolving-hockey.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Evolving Hockey<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>As we can see, Domi&#8217;s defence has been atrocious over the past three seasons. And he has not been able to make up for it with his offence. Treliving is taking a bet that will turn around by playing with the Leafs&#8217; stars.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.discordapp.net\/attachments\/1127951897110781963\/1136867188251316306\/Screenshot_20230803-233917.png\" width=\"475\" height=\"490\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><em>Data and visuals from <a href=\"http:\/\/evolving-hockey.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Evolving Hockey<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>As seen above, Domi has shown his ability to mitigate his defensive issues and bring a great offensive impact. It&#8217;s whether he can do this once again that will be key.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bertuty01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-04_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Bertuzzi<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>By far the best signing by Treliving this off-season, Bertuzzi is able to contribute offensively without giving up too much defensively (when compared to the other signings). The Leafs may finally have found a steady left wing for the duo of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/tavarjo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Tavares<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/nylanwi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">William Nylander<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.discordapp.net\/attachments\/1127951897110781963\/1136867188532330526\/Screenshot_20230803-234034.png\" width=\"508\" height=\"411\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><em>Data and visuals from <a href=\"http:\/\/evolving-hockey.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Evolving Hockey<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Even on a down year last season, which was hampered by injury, Bertuzzi put up 30 points in 40 games, and really came to play in the post-season, scoring 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points through just 7 games for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/bruins\/\" target=\"_self\">Boston Bruins<\/a>. Assuming he can stay healthy, the Bertuzzi signing should be a great one for the Leafs.<\/p>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/klingjo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-04_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Klingberg<\/a><\/h3>\n<p>Finally, the most puzzling of the three offence-oriented signings. Klingberg was a weird acquisition. He&#8217;s effectively just a right-handed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/riellmo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-03_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Morgan Rielly<\/a> lite. His main value comes from the power play, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/riellmo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2023-08-04_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Morgan Rielly<\/a> already holds the spot on the top unit. Klingberg will be playing on PP2 barring injuries.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.discordapp.net\/attachments\/1127951897110781963\/1136867188867870750\/Screenshot_20230803-234101.png\" width=\"480\" height=\"393\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/media.discordapp.net\/attachments\/1127951897110781963\/1136867189153087568\/Screenshot_20230803-234119.png\" width=\"476\" height=\"390\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<p><em>Data and visuals from <a href=\"http:\/\/evolving-hockey.com\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Evolving Hockey<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>While he does bring puck movement to the blueline, he really limits what you can do with your defence pairs. The Leafs will need a strong anchor like Brodie (or McCabe, but Brodie is probably better at covering for defensive liabilities), and that could take away Brodie from Rielly, who greatly benefits from the defensive stability Brodie provides.<\/p>\n<p>There is value that is provided by Klingberg, but he needs to be managed and is a tough fit with the Leafs. He does help the Toronto Maple Leafs offence, though. That&#8217;s for sure. It&#8217;s whether everything else is worth it.<\/p>\n<p>Hockey players are working hard to give spectators a better game through their efforts to keep fans firmly behind their team, which is one of the reasons why clubs like to sign good players. Hockey fans may want to preserve precious memories of their favorite games. Customized<br \/>\ngifts may be a good option, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patches.co\/ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">custom patches<\/a> that can be attached to clothing and backpacks. You can customize patches with hockey elements, Toronto Maple Leafs logos for instance, player names, or other symbols to make them memorable. This is a great idea to support your favorite teams and athletes.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-139814 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/08\/\uff081-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/08\/\uff081-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/08\/\uff081-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/08\/\uff081-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/08\/\uff081-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2023\/08\/\uff081.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><br \/>\nMain Photo Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Leafs have had an interesting off-season, with new GM Brad Treliving taking the helm. Whether you agree with the firing of Kyle Dubas and hiring of Treliving or not, this is what the Leafs front office looks like now. The Toronto Maple Leafs offence is getting some new toys. The Leafs off-season moves under [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2399,"featured_media":139553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,2,4547,4548],"tags":[1594,337,1696,174,5868,679],"class_list":["post-139536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leafs","category-featured","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-brad-treliving","tag-john-klingberg","tag-kyle-dubas","tag-max-domi","tag-toronto-maple-leafs-analysis","tag-tyler-bertuzzi"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2399"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139536"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139536\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/139553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}