Playing 84 games over the course of a standard season is a slog for any player, and it’s reasonable for fans of the Maple Leafs to worry that this extended schedule will take a toll on their team’s difference-makers. However, the more likely scenario is that the depth of the roster will be put under pressure, and any cracks that are going to show will show up here, as opposed to in top-tier performers.
The Defensive Challenges
The amount of physical punishment players take in professional hockey is not uniform across the team, and it’s typically the defensemen that soak up more than their fair share each and every game. With more games to play and less time between them for rest and recuperation, we can safely assume that top defensemen will be exhausted at best, and more prone to injuries at worst.
In turn, coaching staff will need to draw on their lower-tier defensive players more often to avoid either of these scenarios. It’s a case of being stuck between a rock and a hard place, as they won’t want to overplay their top blueliners, but at the same time will worry that looking to lesser players to fill the gaps will expose the true lack of depth in the squad.
All of this is hypothetical, of course, but it’s something fans are taking seriously, and it is even having an impact on betting odds for the Maple Leafs. Checking out Canada’s NHL site of choice is the best way to see how bookmakers feel about their chances from game to game. As the longer season wears on, statistical analysis could be the most telling part of the equation.
The Top-Heavy Forward Setup
It’s strategically sensible for the Maple Leafs to have their salary cap weighted towards a handful of core forwards, as these are the star players who’ll bring in the points and lead the team to victory over the course of the season. At the elite level of the highest-paid stars, it doesn’t make much difference if there are a couple more games to play this year.
On the other hand, this top-heavy setup again means that the rest of the forward group is based on cost-effectiveness, as opposed to pure skill. When you’ve got unproven young prospects and veterans at the end of their professional careers, there’s far more variance involved. These depth players must produce consistent secondary scoring so the top line doesn’t have to carry the load every night.
The Goaltending Dilemma
Goaltenders in the NHL are even more subject to wear and tear than defensemen, so when more games are added to the season’s schedule, there are yet more opportunities for injuries to occur. Once again, the Maple Leafs can’t assume that their first pick will always be available, and so the depth of their goaltending setup will be put to the test.
Essentially, it’s a situation in which the team must look more into the depth of its player base, as opposed to relying on a small group of stars to steer it to victory in the long term.
