"The season is still young but also isn't nothing and whether you feel the Leafs will be fine or not is somewhat irrelevant. What matters is that this doesn't look like a club that is attempting to prove that they can do even better without Mitch Marner. Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua haven't taken steps back from their 2024-25 downturns, and Anthony Stolarz' save percentage points to a club that is witnessing their PDO bubble burst."
"Craig Berube calling out William Nylander was a bizarre choice. Nylander has been the most consistent offensive threat for the Maple Leafs so far this year and given that he's never been of particularly high value in his own end, I don't know why the assumption was that was resolved in training camp. The same holds true of Nylander looking like he's on a different planet some nights. It's often one game and then he's right back to doing what he does."
The Maple Leafs are eight games into the season, roughly one-tenth complete. The team shows worrying signs rather than clear improvement without Mitch Marner. Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, and Dakota Joshua have not rebounded from 2024–25 downturns. Anthony Stolarz's declining save percentage indicates a PDO bubble burst and goaltending regression. Last season's 4-4-1 start that turned into a fine regular season is a cautious precedent but not a guarantee. Rielly's offensive play has returned, but broader roster upgrades remain absent. Public callouts of players, such as William Nylander, create mixed coaching signals.
Read at TheLeafsNation
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