Marc Savard's dismissal was overdue, but the Leafs' head coach and player leadership group also bear responsibility

"To repeat ourselves until we're blue in the face, the Leafs obviously have to come up with something out of four power-play opportunities, and the lack of man-advantage production is absolutely killing them in the standings. Despite the offense drying up of late, the Leafs are still top five in the NHL in five-on-five goals per game this season overall, but the Stars' Wyatt Johnston has more power-play goals than the entire Leafs roster combined through 35 games. That says it all,"

"It was clearly time for the Leafs to bring in a new voice to run their last-placed (13.5%!) man-advantage units; the results are inexcusable, and there was nothing about their process or their metrics that suggested a turnaround was imminent. That said, it is a rare development when an assistant is dismissed mid-season for on-ice results reasons while the rest of the staff carries on."

"The fact of the matter is that the Leafs ' five-on-five play is not much better than their power-play results right now, and that falls on the head coach (and GM) in charge. It was also long past time for the head coach to step in and address the struggling power play itself, so while Savard couldn't continue in the role any longer, he also doesn't own 100% of the responsibility for these struggles."

The Maple Leafs have a last-place 13.5% power play and have produced only 12 power-play goals, creating severe standings damage. The Stars' Wyatt Johnston has more power-play goals than the entire Leafs roster through 35 games. Assistant coach Marc Savard was relieved of his duties immediately as a response to the power-play failures. The team shows strong five-on-five offense overall but not at man advantage, and metrics offered no sign of an imminent turnaround. Responsibility extends beyond the assistant coach to the head coach and general manager, making the move a partial measure.

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