Jim Hiller made one fearless move in the Maple Leafs’ first win

Editor In Leaf's Jeremy Franks highlights head coach Jim Hiller's accountability-driven benching during the Toronto Maple Leafs' 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders. Following a poor pinch and lack of backcheck by William Nylander that surrendered a shorthanded goal to Montreal's Emil Heineman in the prior game, Hiller immediately pulled the top power-play unit off the ice to set a standard of consequences.

Franks argues that this decisive disciplinary move marked a positive shift from previous Toronto coaching regimes. Alongside starting Anthony Stolarz in net and balancing ice time for penalty killers, Hiller utilized a second power-play unit featuring Easton Cowan and Gavin McKenna to promote stability and reward high-effort play.