Maple Leafs’ adjustments to defensive system is the root cause of their issues
November 11, 2025
Maple Leafs’ adjustments to defensive system is the root cause of their issues
8 comments
Gru gave up on trying to steal the moon and instead stole the Leafs shot suppression
Maybe true, but this is a bad clickbait article
> The issue is adjustments to the defensive system
Oh? What adjustments were made to the defensive system?
>????
we see this experimenting every season. Babcock did it. Keefe did it. Berube does it. By January they’ll be back to dancing in the O zone with perimeter shots. If we want change, as fans, we just have to accept this team is going to take time to adjust to this newer system. It currently isn’t working great but once it clicks, if it clicks, the team will be better off. I think.
Personally, I’d like to see the team focus on shots from the point but hey, we can’t get everything we want.
[deleted]
Defensive coach is terrible and has been for other teams.
The article breezes over stuff. I am not sure they were much better at suppressing quality chances last year, but their slot and inner slot save percentages have plummeted. It may just be bad play catching up to them. Though I am happy to blame Lalonde too, lol
I guess a good way to support this is to ask how much better the Kraken have gotten defensively under Lambert – I dislike Gru like everyone else does but there’s so many other possible factors for the recent decline like our guys getting older, key injuries, getting bailed out by our tandem being #3 and #9 in SV% last year, a different focus on offence causing guys to cherrypick (it’s only cute when Willy does it to lead the league)
I hope I’m wrong, but I think at some point we’re going to have to stop blaming coaching and come to the realization that the window here may be closing due to Matthews seemingly not going to be returning to form and D core being too old and slow.
That said, maybe you keep your picks and prospects, grit your teeth, Cowan takes a year in the AHL, and maybe you can give this team an injection through free agency, Cowan being ready next year. Maybe Matthews bounces back, Ovy had two years of 30G with almost 80 GP and then found it again.
I just hope this play doesn’t continue AND they double down trading more prospects and future 1sts trying to fix something you can’t fix in season.
8 comments
Gru gave up on trying to steal the moon and instead stole the Leafs shot suppression
Maybe true, but this is a bad clickbait article
> The issue is adjustments to the defensive system
Oh? What adjustments were made to the defensive system?
>????
we see this experimenting every season. Babcock did it. Keefe did it. Berube does it. By January they’ll be back to dancing in the O zone with perimeter shots. If we want change, as fans, we just have to accept this team is going to take time to adjust to this newer system. It currently isn’t working great but once it clicks, if it clicks, the team will be better off. I think.
Personally, I’d like to see the team focus on shots from the point but hey, we can’t get everything we want.
[deleted]
Defensive coach is terrible and has been for other teams.
The article breezes over stuff. I am not sure they were much better at suppressing quality chances last year, but their slot and inner slot save percentages have plummeted. It may just be bad play catching up to them. Though I am happy to blame Lalonde too, lol
I guess a good way to support this is to ask how much better the Kraken have gotten defensively under Lambert – I dislike Gru like everyone else does but there’s so many other possible factors for the recent decline like our guys getting older, key injuries, getting bailed out by our tandem being #3 and #9 in SV% last year, a different focus on offence causing guys to cherrypick (it’s only cute when Willy does it to lead the league)
I hope I’m wrong, but I think at some point we’re going to have to stop blaming coaching and come to the realization that the window here may be closing due to Matthews seemingly not going to be returning to form and D core being too old and slow.
That said, maybe you keep your picks and prospects, grit your teeth, Cowan takes a year in the AHL, and maybe you can give this team an injection through free agency, Cowan being ready next year. Maybe Matthews bounces back, Ovy had two years of 30G with almost 80 GP and then found it again.
I just hope this play doesn’t continue AND they double down trading more prospects and future 1sts trying to fix something you can’t fix in season.