Jim Hiller’s old 1-3-1 may be boring by design, but couldn’t parts of it be exactly what an ailing Toronto squad might need?
For the Matthews-era Maple Leafs, Jim Hiller is the latest head coach getting a crack at the Rubik’s cube. And an interesting one at that: failing to take the LA Kings out of the first playoff round in each of the last three seasons, he’s hired to do just that in Toronto.
But instead of addressing the slowing scoring pace of his star center, Hiller’s identity hints at going down a different path: building a checking team that’s difficult to play against, built on a reliable defense-first system (neither of which the Leafs are particularly known for).
What it means on the ice.
The Idea: Active 1-2-2 and passive 1-3-1. The NZ trap is designed to deny the middle of the ice and funnel opponents into low-percentage perimeter entries, or dump-ins (with the D2 on a head start to retrieve). It’s a passive system not particularly great against skilled teams (those you face in the playoffs), and the opposite of Hiller’s adjusted 1-2-2 forecheck that aims to win the puck where it’s eventually needed (up front).
In 2024 (left side), the Kings relied on the trap against the Oilers, sitting back against a team with McDavid and Draisaitl on it (turns out they’re skilled enough to play their way through). In 2026 (right side), the two-layered 2-2 behind the F1 actively clogs the strong-side and takes away time and space.
The Challenge: Get the Maple Leafs to play responsibly. Hiller’s tightly organized defense only works with disciplined buy-in from all five skaters. Note the Leafs in the same 1-2-2 below: They manage to isolate the breakout 4-on-1 on the strong-side, but the general tendency to puck-watch allows the opponent’s F2 to sneak in weak-side.
Fixing these habits will be Hiller’s biggest task on a team that (with the addition of Gavin McKenna) hasn’t exactly become less offense-minded. Back in LA, his players chafed at how regimented his structure was, and even Hiller himself has acknowledged it caps the team’s scoring. But there’s no other option left but to ask the Leafs’ elite offensive talent to subordinate themselves to positional discipline (scoring their way out of trouble hasn’t worked, either).
The Potential: A trappy 1-2-2. Done right, the trap is one of the more reliable ways to build a competitive team fast—and you don’t have to go full 1-3-1 to do it. Just implementing parts of it could be a huge opportunity for the Leafs to mask their personnel weaknesses: Toronto lacks foot speed on the back end, and the trap reduces the team’s dependence on individual skating ability to defend.
Below, a play of Hiller’s 2026 Kings. Again, the 1-2-2 applies pressure on the puck carrier strong-side, but note how the D1 is neither here nor there: too deep to challenge for the puck, but not enough to head-start the retrieval. As a result, the opponent has time and space to work with weak-side, and an easy controlled OZ entry (and then you have to defend). Wouldn’t you just wish there were three guys staggered across the blue line?
The Risk: Riling them up too much. Under Craig Berube, the Leafs went from an even more aggressive 2-1-2 to the measured 1-2-2, but their jumpy tendencies remain untamed. Asking them to play even more disciplined is asking for trouble defensively if that system relies on positional devotion alone.
Just to illustrate below: back in Hiller’s 2024 trap heyday, the D1 in the three-man center had that exact same tendency to jump early, opening a critical lane (and space behind him). What follows is an easy entry at best and an odd-man at worst, neither of which helps a Toronto team that has trouble defending as is.
Key Takeaways.
If you’re a coach: A tight D can turn a mediocre or underachieving roster into a hard-to-play-against contender almost immediately. But go in with your eyes open about the tradeoff: it will visibly cap your own offensive ceiling, it asks your most skilled players for positional obedience many of them resist, and if it fails, there’s a strong chance the system itself (not the personnel) has become the limiting factor.
If you’re a player: Trust your lane before you trust your instinct. If you’re a skilled offensive player, understand that some creative freedom is the price of playing on a team this difficult to face, and learn to find your offense within the structure (off the rush, off a forced turnover) rather than trying to create it around the system entirely.