Leafs hit the road after rollercoaster start: 'The nature of the market'

Mark Giordano has seen it before. He'll no doubt see it again.

Wins, losses, injuries and controversy are magnified early in every NHL season.

In a Canadian market, the spotlight's even brighter. And then there's playing in Toronto.

The Maple Leafs suited up for five games in eight days to start the schedule, and from pointed coach comments, sluggish play, and an oft-injured pair already sidelined, there's been plenty of chatter around an organization with sky-high expectations and intense pressure to succeed.

“You don't win games early in the season - two or three games - and it's a huge deal,” said Giordano, a blue-liner with plenty of experiences navigating highs and lows from his time as Calgary's captain.

“In the grand scheme of things over 82 (games) it might not be that big of a deal. We've just got to keep continuing to get our game.”

It's not so much that the Leafs have at 3-2-0 record. It's how they got there.

Toronto laid an egg on opening night in Montreal - the NHL's last-place team in 2021-22 - prompting head coach Sheldon Keefe to use an early bullet by calling out his players.

Consecutive victories turned the temperature down a little, but Monday's stunning setback against Arizona, a club that finished one spot ahead of Montreal last season, created another maelstrom of talk after Keefe was vocal about his stars' performance before walking those comments back.

The Leafs are already without netminder Matt Murray (groin/abductor) and defenceman Jake Muzzin (neck) - both players have long lists of past ailments - but responded Thursday with a 3-2 overtime decision against Dallas, which entered a perfect 3-0-0.

“The nature of the market,” Keefe said of a rollercoaster eight-day stretch. “That's the way that it goes, but it's also because there's high expectations for our team. There's high expectations from us here internally, too.

“We've got to keep things in perspective.”

Despite there being plenty of areas to improve, Keefe has been pleased with certain aspects.

“You have to be resilient and respond to moments where things go bad,” he said. “Our team has shown that.”

Toronto has yet to really find its rhythm at 5-on-5 or on the power play. The Leafs sat 20th in goals for heading into Friday's action after finishing second last season, while the man advantage is clicking at 18.2 per cent compared to a league-best 27.3 mark in 2021-22.

Assistant coach Spencer Carbery, who runs the power play, had a long chat with the No. 1 unit - minus Auston Matthews, who was given a maintenance day - at the tail end of Friday's practice after a 1-for-8 performance.

“Got to execute better,” said defenceman Morgan Rielly, the quarterback of the first group. “The positioning's good, the intent is there. We're just not executing on some of our passes.

“It's an easy fix, but it's also very frustrating.”

The up-and-down start isn't what Toronto envisioned, but the players are used to that outside noise and are once again doing their best to block it out as the team heads out on five-game road trip that begins Saturday in Winnipeg.

“Early in the season always seems one day: are we really that good or are we not really that good?” Leafs captain John Tavares said with a smile. “It's a difficult league, the challenge is tough.

“We really believe in our group.”

MATTHEWS GETS BREATHER

Matthews had the day off after the star centre played nearly 27 minutes against Dallas, blocked two shots, drew a penalty, took what Keefe called a “sneaky crosscheck” from Jamie Benn, and assisted on Nick Robertson's OT clincher.

The 25-year-old led the NHL with 60 goals and won his first Hart Trophy as MVP last season, but has found the back of the net just once - on a deflection - so far in 2022-23.

The Leafs, however, know it's just a matter of time.

“He goes to the hard areas,” Giordano said. “He finishes checks, so there's gonna be bumps and bruises.”

Matthews, who has the puck on his stick a ton, somehow only drew 14 penalties from opponents last season. That number is already at six to sit in a three-way tie for the league lead.

“He's just plays the game and allows the referees to call the game,” Keefe said. “Maybe the coach has a few things to say from time to time.”

“For a superstar,” bruising winger Wayne Simmonds added, “he complains about absolutely nothing.”

SIMMONDS BACK

The 34-year-old will be in the lineup Saturday after a difficult start to his season.

Simmonds was placed on waivers, went unclaimed and worked out on his own before Murray's injury afforded the Leafs some salary cap flexibility for a recall.

“I'd say more different than difficult,” he said of the last few weeks. “Everything comes with its challenges, right?

“I feel completely prepared. I'm just excited.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2022.