Urgency, yes, but shouldn’t the struggling Maple Leafs know that by now?

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It’s one thing to say that playing with urgency is crucial; it’s another to actually go out and do it.

That lesson, or whatever you want to call it, continues to elude the Maple Leafs.

Three wins in nine games to start the 2026-27 regular season is not good, no matter how it’s sliced.

The Leafs knew what they were going to get from the New York Islanders on Saturday — a difficult opponent that makes a team work to penetrate the offensive zone — yet couldn’t overcome that and deserved the loss. Let’s keep in mind that the Islanders aren’t world beaters. They’re not in a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference right now.

If you’re not getting inside against the Islanders, it means your diligence is lacking and you’re not making the sacrifices required to be effective.

It’s nice that captain Auston Matthews took responsibility after the game, saying that “we’ve got to be better in all areas, starting with myself, starting with the leaders and veterans on the team.”

Well, no kidding. What happened against the Islanders had no excuse, especially after the Leafs should have been well-rested and set following a day off on Friday.

That the Leafs acknowledged that the Islanders made it hard on them doesn’t let them off the hook.

Neither Matthews nor William Nylander, who otherwise have been offensively sharp, could make a dent against the Isles, each recording just one shot on goal and combining for five other attempts. They couldn’t find a way against an Islanders team that will be just as challenged to get to the post-season as Toronto.

What’s next for the Leafs?

Before Macklin Celebrini, Ivar Stenberg and the rest of the San Jose Sharks hit town on Monday night at Scotiabank Arena, the Leafs, losers of three consecutive games, had a scheduled day off on Sunday. Let’s hope they used at least part of it to collect their thoughts and concentrate on coming with a sustained effort as a busy four-game week kicks off.

While Leafs coach Jim Hiller continues to try to figure out how to play good hockey for 60 minutes, there’s increasing talk that Leafs general manager John Chayka remains resolute in his desire to add a defenceman, which takes on greater importance with Chris Tanev out on a week-to-week basis while nursing an upper-body injury.

Elliotte Friedman reported during the Sportsnet broadcast on Saturday night that the Leafs will pay a “premium asset” if they believe they are getting a difference-maker on the blue line. Of course, that’s easier said than done. If that’s the case, Chayka would have to consider moving Easton Cowan, one of the few instrumental Leafs forwards who does not have trade protection (neither do Kirill Marchenko or Jack Roslovic). Gavin McKenna? No. Let’s not get carried away.

Do you think Chayka would be okay with moving out one of his aging defencemen, whether it’s Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe or Oliver Ekman-Larsson? Hard to see why not, but like some of their teammates, each has trade protection to a degree.

As for Darren Raddysh, while it’s true the Leafs power play has been clicking at 26.7% (eighth in the National Hockey League before games on Sunday), the club hasn’t found a way to get him untracked from the point. Few are the times that he has had the opportunity to unleash his booming shot; of Raddysh’s four assists in nine games (he has no goals), two have come on the power play.

The ongoing trade chatter brings us back to something we’ve been stressing: The Leafs aren’t one good defenceman away from making a run at a Stanley Cup, let alone a playoff spot.

One good defenceman won’t solve the woes in the D zone. The Leafs have allowed 25 goals against at five-on-five. Only the Vancouver Canucks (27) gave up more through Saturday’s games.

Would one trade really make a difference?

It’s going to take more than the addition of one defenceman, if a trade even happens, to get the Leafs to a defensive level that would lead one to believe they’re capable of returning to the playoffs after a one-year absence.

Communication and connectivity between all five players on the ice are paramount. Somehow, the Leafs have to take large steps.

Through nine games, the evidence has been lacking that the Leafs can earn a berth in the Stanley Cup tournament.

Playing with urgency, obviously, would be a start. With this group, as we’ve come to learn, that’s not a guarantee.

“We just have to make sure that we’re ready to play come Monday against a good, young, hungry team,” Matthews said. “The games are just going to keep coming, so we have to be ready and more assertive in our game.”

Couldn’t agree more.

tkoshan@postmedia.com

X: @koshtorontosun

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