Maple Leafs wingers were told to dump the puck in under Craig Berube, and Matthew Knies and company may finally get more freedom under Jim Hiller.
Wingers on last season's roster admitted Berube instructed them to "dump the puck in," according to @dfotoronto.
They also said they often worried about paying a price for trying creative plays at the offensive blue line.
It's a big shift from what the Leafs have heard so far from Hiller, with "north-south" barely coming up after being a constant focus the past two seasons.
Hiller was hired in June and is heading into his first season behind the Leafs bench after Berube's two-year run.
Knies is exactly the kind of winger this could change the most. He put up 66 points last season.
So what does a winger do once the leash comes off?
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Leafs moving away from dump-and-chase hockey under Jim Hiller
Knies also finished minus-30 last season, a number no system should be proud of.
The season before, still under Berube, he scored 29 goals in 78 games.
He's locked in at $7,750,000 through 2030-31, which gives the Leafs every reason to let him create.
The Leafs also pay Auston Matthews $13,250,000 and William Nylander $11,500,000.
Telling that much skill to chip it in and chase is a waste of money. Hiller letting them make plays at the line is the right call.
It's like hiring a jazz band and telling them to only play the melody. You're paying for the solos.
The Leafs finished the preseason 2-1-1 under their new coach.
They host the Canadiens on Tuesday to open the regular season, and Montreal went 4-1-0 in exhibition play.
That's a real test right away. A creative team that turns pucks over at the blue line against Montreal's speed could pay for it in a hurry.
Creative plays at the line will cost the Leafs a few odd-man rushes this season. Hiller seems willing to live with that, and opening night will show whether the players truly believe him.
Is Jim Hiller right to give the Leafs' wingers more freedom than Craig Berube did?
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