There’s a lot to talk about right now, so lets get to it…
Jack Roslovic has looked faster and more effective than I had expected him to be. I’ve seen many people share that sentiment as well. It took him a long time to find a contract last summer after he produced just 39pts in 81 games with the Carolina Hurricanes the year prior. This time around the Leafs were waiting for him on July 1st with a 2 year deal that will pay him $4M per season, but I feel as though that move wouldn’t have been made if John Chayka had envisioned them adding a player like Kirill Marchenko. With Marchenko and William Nylander being legitimate top 6 right wingers it has left (forced?) head coach Jim Hiller to play Marchenko on his off wing, alongside Auston Matthews and Roslovic. So far Marchenko doesn’t look out of place on his off side, but with Easton Cowan’s first two games bringing so many positives and 1st overall selection, Gavin McKenna, being a player that should also be in the top 6 on the left side, you have to wonder if we’ll soon see Roslovic forced into the bottom 6. From there, you also have to wonder if Roslovic will fit into the style of play that the team expects from their bottom 6, based on the way it’s built. Fast, heavy, gritty and eager to forecheck and backcheck, while also bringing a touch of offense, the bottom 6 finally has a direction after years of being nothing more than a mix-match of various styles that never really meshed well together. Can Roslovic bring any of that to the 3rd line?
If Cowan continues to play as he has for another few games, these decisions could be made early, but as of now there is nothing wrong with leaving him on the 3rd line, as he has added some grit and offensive pressure to a line that also includes Nick Paul and Colton Sissons. The trio opened the scoring against the New York Islanders on a play that began with Cowan. If no other positive can be taken away from the Radko Gudus knee-on-knee hit to Matthews last year, it at least lit a fire under Cowan’s ass, as he has looked like a new player ever since. He has been walking tall, evidenced by the fact that he was pushing and shoving with the 6’7″ Logan Stanley during that same game against the Islanders and it’s that type of play that will earn him the respect of his teammates.
While I do believe moving Cowan into the top 6, while shifting Marchenko over to his natural side would bring balance to the scoring lines, I will say again that Marchenko has looked fine on his off wing. He has a strong one timer and unleashed it on a rush chance against Montreal on opening night. He didn’t score on that particular play but you can see the benefit of having him there if he can receive strong passes in good areas. There are a lot of Russian players around the league that prefer to play their off wing, so its entirely possible that Marchenko is one of them. If this is the case then there is very little that needs to be tampered with in the immediate future.
While it has only been two games, Marchenko looking strong out of the gate has quickly softened the blow that Leafs Nation felt upon learning of the news that Matthew Knies had been traded. Knies is a beast on the ice and I’ll be making bets on him to score when the Leafs and Jackets meet next. It felt as if Knies had another level to go before we got the full version of what he can be, but it also feels like Marchenko can produce in the 90pt plus range. At the end of the day the consensus appears to be that Leafs Nation, like myself, is very high on Marchenko, but would have loved to see a lineup with both of the power forwards playing together. That would have been very enjoyable. **Update: Knies looked great in his first game with Columbus. I’m happy for him, but I won’t be joining the rush of fans that are saying the Leafs lost the deal less than a week after it was made.
What I’m not enjoying is the pairing of Morgan Rielly and Darren Raddysh on the back end. In this case it’s simply two defenders that don’t defend overly well, while Rielly, especially, isn’t a breakout machine. Sometimes with these types of offensive defenders being together it works because they’re fast and shifty, so as soon as they touch the puck they can skate away from pressure and help exit the zone. In the case of Rielly and Raddysh their breakouts are the more traditional forward passes or simple dump outs. If those options fail they find themselves hemmed in and so far it’s been too often that this is the case.
That’s why I’m not surprised to see a rumour that has the Leafs looking for a top 4 defender, which would push (I assume) Rielly onto the bottom pair, or, ideally, include him in the deal. The issue here is that finding true top 4 help is excruciatingly hard, expensive and rare. It’s even more rare to see these types of players move at this time of year, now that rosters are locked in. If the Leafs make a deal I wouldn’t expect a younger asset like Marchenko, but rather a more veteran defender that simply needs a change of scenery. In the early going my prediction is that we aren’t going to see the Nashville Predators extremely high in the standings, so I’ll dream about a Roman Josi acquisition towards the deadline, but that is going to be a very costly player to obtain and would require cap gymnastics. One can dream.
Considering Rielly has a full NMC, I also wonder if Oliver Ekman-Larsson is on the block as a piece to help acquire a different top 4 defender. I’ll miss him if he goes.
Sergei Bobrovsky looked solid in his opening game. At 38 years old we all assume that he’ll end up as a very overpaid backup in Toronto before his contract expires. However, we need two good years from him and the one start is encouraging, despite the loss. What else is encouraging is the fact that Anthony Stolarz looked fantastic in the second half of a back-to-back. After an injury plagued season last year, if Stolarz can simply stay healthy and give Bobrovsky lots of time to rest, then the tandem shouldn’t be part of what keeps the Leafs out of the playoffs.
I don’t feel as if the bottom 6 will be a point of contention this season either. Yes, some of the players there are paid handsomely when you consider what they produced on other teams lately, but they all bring similar elements. There’s a massive uptick in leadership qualities, by all accounts, through the acquisitions of Nick Paul, Colton Sissons and Brandon Duhaime, while those three are also adding a healthy dose of physicality, to go along with Zack MacEwen and the more gritty Easton Cowan. Teddy Blueger has also been a favourite of mine for a few years, as the 4th line centre brings a fair amount of offense for his role, without sacrificing his defensive capabilities. A player that I’m also excited for is Bo Groulx. He has the size, physicality and defensive acumen to play on your 3rd and 4th lines, but if injuries started to spiral out of control he also has the speed and shot to at least dabble in the top 6. Keeping him on the roster was a savvy move, as I believe he would have been claimed off waivers by another team.
I do feel as if Dakota Joshua has played his final game for the Toronto Maple Leafs. How that plays out isn’t clear yet, but I simply don’t see how he fits into this roster considering his lack of foot speed.
The penalty kill looks like it could have another solid year, even though I still don’t agree with having William Nylander out there while they’re short a man, even if it is just for a few seconds. Groulx is underrated in that role, while Blueger, Duhaime, Paul and Sissons are effective. Having Chris Tanev back and looking better than I could have hoped is a massive boost as well.
The powerplay, on the other hand, looks like it still needs work. I’m really not sure what else to say about this at this point. What should be a big positive for this team has been a huge problem for years. Somebody needs a kick in the ass to get it fixed, because if they do then this team could start firing on all cylinders.