Maple Leafs’ slow start could be a blessing in disguise, former NHL head coach suggests

The Toronto Maple Leafs won on Monday, 4-3, against the Pittsburgh Penguins, improving to 7-5-1 after 13 games and climbing to third in the Atlantic Division. Former player and coach Darryl Sutter spoke about the Maple Leafs’ situation in the Nov. 4 edition of the “Leafs Morning Take” podcast and argued that the team’s initial ups and downs are good for the long term. Although it beat the Penguins on Monday, Toronto was coming off a streak of poor results, heavily reliant on the power play and visibly incomplete in its structure. It’s not a big deal, according to Sutter. “In the long run, this is not the worst thing for them because, quite honestly, there have been times the last few years where they were kind of on cruise and still winning and relying on the big guys to win the game or the power play to win the game,” Sutter said. “Maybe now this is a really, really good teaching and learning experience for them right now.” Sutter is right. The initial ups and downs can be useful because they reinforce accoRead More