The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the ice at the Ford Performance Centre on Sunday for a skate and practice session. This marked the first time in training camp that the team focused on their power play, with new assistant coach Marc Savard taking charge of the units.
“It’s always different when there’s new voices coming in, but it does bring an element of excitement,” said defenseman Morgan Rielly, who leads the top power play unit. “He’s obviously very dialed in when it comes to the skill side, the offensive side of the game.”
Savard, who was part of Craig Berube’s coaching staff in St. Louis, where he helped the Blues to a third overall ranking in power play efficiency during the 2019-20 season, brings a wealth of experience to the Leafs.
“He just has that mindset that, you know, skilled power-play guys understand,” Berube said. “He always has some plays and different ideas, but he’s got good structure on his power play.”
With 292 power-play points accumulated over his 807-game NHL career, Savard’s expertise is highly valued by the players. “I played against him,” said Max Pacioretty, who practiced with the second unit. “It makes me feel old, but he was one of the best power-play players at that time and it’s cool to see him come in and teach it the way he did it.”
The Leafs power play struggled towards the end of last season, finishing seventh overall in the regular season and failing to convert on many opportunities in the playoffs. But the coaching staff remains optimistic about the current lineup, sticking with the same personnel on the top unit consisting of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares, and Rielly.
“This power play has been very successful over a number of years,” Berube emphasized. “I know you are going to bring up the playoffs last year. Well, you can go into dry spells. It happens to every team. It was just the wrong time for them, but that is a very good power-play unit.”
Despite their regular season success on the power play, the Leafs have historically struggled in the playoffs. From 2019 to 2023, only the Edmonton Oilers have been more efficient on the man advantage during the regular season. However, Toronto has faced challenges in maintaining that success when it matters most in the post-season, ranking 20th in power-play efficiency during the Matthews era.
