A new report suggests that key member of the Toronto Maple Leafs coaching staff Marc Savard could already be on the verge of losing his job.
The Leafs are currently going sitting with a .500 win % after 12 games played this season. With a 6-5-1 record, they are third in the Atlantic Division, one point from the Florida Panthers at the second place, but it’s definitely not indicative to how poorly the Maple Leafs have played so far this season.
While their spot in the standings may not seem so bad, the team fails to meet the high expectations set by fans, media, and the organization, and one specific part of their game has been widely criticized, which could lead to the first coaching change of the season.
Indeed, assistant coach Marc Savard seems to be in a hot seat in Toronto. Savard was hired this summer to fix the Maple Leafs’ powerplay, but it’s safe to say that he hasn’t been able to turn things around yet. In 38 opportunities, the Leafs have only scored an abysmal three times on the man advantage, placing them last in the NHL with a 7.8% success rate.
Last night, the Maple Leafs’ powerplay struggles were highlighted in an attempt to enter the offensive zone at 5-on-4. In the Leafs’ 4-2 loss against the St. Louis Blues, Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson reached the Blues’ blue line and decided to send the puck to his teammates in his zone. This strategy, used by many organizations in the League, is one of the less creative and most predictable ways to control the puck on the powerplay. It led to an outpouring of negativity on X, as fans criticized Savard for doing that play:
Several others shared their thoughts on Savard and the Leafs’ powerplay when Leafs Nation Reporter Nick Alberga asked if the coach was in the hot seat:
Of course, it would be easy to point fingers at Craig Berube, who must be feeling pressure to make changes, But if the powerplay had been better, many more games could’ve been won in Toronto this season. It’s due to many factors including a lack of shots on net, too many second passes, and a lack of discipline. Several times this season, Toronto has taken unnecessary penalties which negates any type of advantage Toronto might have had.
It’ll be interesting to see what Savard does to bring the Leafs’ powerplay out of its slump. However, if we don’t see results soon, the end of his coaching journey in Toronto could come to an end. It’s an unfortunate downfall of one of the league’s better special teams coaches, and one has to wonder what exactly is the issue because on paper, it seems like a dream. But so far, it’s been a nightmare for the Maple Leafs.
