There’s one Maple Leafs trait that Craig Berube wouldn’t mind seeing carry over from the Sheldon Keefe era.
Under Keefe, when the Leafs would collapse against a lesser opponent, they usually would rebound nicely in their next game, leaving many to further wonder why the bad efforts would happen at all.
At some point, the stern Berube just might get the lopsided losses against teams such as the Columbus Blue Jackets out of the Leafs’ system. Failure to do so was one of the few regular-season blemishes on Keefe’s record in his time running the Toronto bench.
The most that can be accomplished right now, though, is a complete effort on Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena against the St. Louis Blues after the Jackets ran the Leafs out of Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night. The Blues’ only visit of the 2024-25 season to Toronto marks the first time Berube has seen his former club since St. Louis fired him last December.
Motivation on the part of the players to beat the new coach’s old team should be only a piece of the plot and not a big one at that.
If the Leafs play like they did in their first six games — with structure, strength in transition and puck movement, and grit — they’re bound to win on Thursday night.
In the Leafs’ two losses through their initial six games, opposing goalies Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers and Samuel Montembeault were significant factors in sending captain Auston Matthews and his teammates home unhappy. Had the Jackets been using an emergency backup goalie on Tuesday, it probably wouldn’t have tilted the ice in the Leafs’ favour.
“A good one, for sure,” Matthews told reporters in Columbus when he was asked what kind of response he expected from the Leafs. “You’ve got St. Louis coming in, Chief used to coach there. We just got our butts handed to us a little bit. It’s a busy week for us. There’s no time to sulk over this, you learn from it and move on.”
They did it under Keefe. Now, to give Berube a similar reason to smile.
SALT LAKE TIMMY?
Intriguing news item via the Utah Hockey Club on Wednesday, as it confirmed that Sean Durzi and John Marino each will miss a significant amount of time.
Durzi, the Leafs’ second-round pick in 2018, will miss up to six months after having shoulder surgery, while Marino will be out for up to four months after he had surgery on his lower back.
They’re both right-shot defencemen and, as luck would have it, the Leafs have Timothy Liljegren, who shoots from the right side and has spent the past several weeks falling further off Berube’s radar.
Could Leafs general manager Brad Treliving work out a trade with Utah? You would have to assume that’s in the realm of possibilities.
With a $3-million US cap hit this season and next, Liljegren is an expensive scratch for a Leafs team that can’t afford (financially) to have that chunk of money sitting on the sideline.
Scolded toward the end of camp by Berube for not being heavy enough in his play, Liljegren didn’t fare well in his only game in the early going, getting less than 14 minutes of ice time in the win last week against the Los Angeles Kings.
Jani Hakanpaa continues to work his way back from a knee injury and he will be eligible to be activated off long-term injured reserve in time for the Leafs’ game on Nov. 2 in St. Louis. The 6-foot-7 Hakanpaa costs the Leafs $1.47 million, less than half of Liljegren’s hit.
There’s also Philippe Myers, who similar to Hakanpaa and Liljegren, shoots right. Signed for depth purposes, Myers is awaiting his season debut as he continues to practise with the Leafs.
Forward Connor Dewar (shoulder) doesn’t appear to be far off from returning from LTIR, either.
At some point, Treliving is going to have to make a firm decision on Liljegren. We wouldn’t want to put words in the Swede’s mouth, but the 25-year-old probably would be fine with getting a fresh start on another team.
The speculation involving Liljegren and Utah started before the extent of the Durzi and Marino absences were confirmed. Now that they are, don’t expect rumours to quiet down. And keep in mind that Utah has the cap space to acquire Liljegren.
LOOSE LEAFS
The Leafs had a full day off on Wednesday, so there was no update on the condition of forward Max Pacioretty, who left the game in Columbus with a lower-body injury. If Pacioretty is unable to play against St. Louis, there’s no roster move required by Toronto, as David Kampf would draw back in after he was a healthy scratch against the Jackets … Robert Thomas has been a point-a-game player for the Blues against the Leafs in his NHL career, scoring one goal and recording seven assists in eight games. He won’t be a concern on Thursday, however, as the Blues announced on Wednesday that the native of Aurora, Ont., has a broken ankle and will be re-evaluated in six weeks. Thomas was injured when he blocked a shot against the Winnipeg Jets in the third period on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev continues to get away just with bruises whenever he blocks a shot. Tanev’s 25 blocks are tied for most in the NHL with Boston Bruins defenceman Brandon Carlo … Easton Cowan hasn’t been tearing up the Ontario Hockey League since the Leafs returned the forward to the London Knights, but he hasn’t been quiet either. Cowan has six points in his first five games, including at least one point in each, extending his regular-season point streak to 42 games. Cowan most recently was held off the scoresheet 11 months ago, in a game in Sudbury on Nov. 24 … The Leafs didn’t have much trouble beating the Blues in their two meetings last season, winning 4-1 and 4-2 in a pair of games six days apart in February, long after Berube was gone.
X: @koshtorontosun