There are a few undeniable facts at play in this year’s Leafs season. They’re going to make the playoffs. Mitch Marner, William Nylander and Auston Matthews are going to get paid. Frederik Andersen and Morgan Rielly are having career years. Travis Dermott is here to stay.



Nikita Zaitsev is struggling.



In the first year of a seven-year deal that carries a $4.5-million cap hit through to 2024, the Leafs’ sophomore defenceman (who plays 22:38 a night to lead all Leafs) hasn’t played well.



But there was one recent game and play that made me want to look into the why and the how behind those struggles.



With 3:03 left in overtime against the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 26, Zaitsev took to the ice for a shift that would last 1:44. Twenty-six seconds into it, he picked up the puck on the left-wing boards and, rather than turn back to find a teammate, drop the puck back into space in the corner, or look cross-ice, chipped it up the...