Toronto Maple Leafs: Josh Leivo Deserving of Another Look

Last Friday’s trade by the Toronto Maple Leafs saw forward Peter Holland being shipped off to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for not only a conditional draft pick, but more importantly, a well-needed roster spot.

With the logjam of a roster that the Toronto Maple Leafs have had this season between the main club and the Toronto Marlies, that extra roster spot can be used up by many players. It seems, however, that this spot is up for the taking by nobody other than Josh Leivo.

After a tough beginning to the season which saw Leivo sustain a lower body injury that made him miss the first few months of the season, he had finally been made “available” by the team on Sunday.

Being put on a conditioning stint with the Toronto Marlies for two weeks at the season’s start had once again taken away from Leivo’s long awaited emergence. After the stint ended last month, Leivo had to remain in limbo with the Leafs after they declared him unfit to play. With Holland gone and a growing young core at the Leafs disposal, a healthy Josh Leivo may be exactly what this team needs for the future.

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Drafted 86th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2011, Josh Leivo has been stuck playing in the minors for as long as he can remember.

Despite a shortened stint with the Marlies in the 2012-13 season, Leivo impressed many in his first full professional season, putting up 42 points in 59 games for the Marlies in 2013-14. That season also included a brief call-up by the Maple Leafs, which saw Leivo put up a goal and an assist in seven games with limited minutes–quite the impression.

The 2014-15 AHL season saw a slight decrease in production for Leivo, but nevertheless he was still able to put up a solid performance, notching 32 points in 51 games.

2015-16 was Leivo’s best season so far, in which he put up 48 points in 51 games. Last season included another stint with the Leafs which saw Leivo score five goals in 12 games. With numbers like these, it’s interesting to wonder exactly what Leivo may have been capable of if he had been healthy for a full season, or even if he got a sufficient opportunity to play with the Leafs.

With that said, the Leafs could really benefit from playing Leivo in an extensive role this season. He has currently been activated as the team’s only extra forward, which does not give him enough minutes to do him justice.

Looking at the Leafs current forward core, Leivo can slot in as a third line forward right now. Leivo can thrive off playing a similar role to that of Zach Hyman or even Connor Brown. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if Leivo can produce more effectively than the likes of Hyman or Ben Smith if he can be given the opportunity.

Leivo’s production has been steady given the unfortunate injury circumstances that he has had to face. Playing at almost a point per game level in the AHL while healthy could translate exceptionally in a full NHL season.

Going Forward

Looking ahead, Leivo will most likely have to prove his spot in the NHL. But I think he deserves a chance at playing solid minutes over some of the other bottom nine players.

Leivo’s case is interesting, because he is one of the few draft picks not made during the Brenden Shanahan era that has remained a part of the Leafs system. His offensive skill set definitely separates him from other Leafs prospects, but there still is work to be done.

Despite Leivo’s gifted offensive game, his defensive game could be worked on. The Leafs have a deep, young forward core that will be tough to compete against.

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Not only does Leivo have to match up against current Leafs, he also has to battle for the spot among top Marlies forwards like Kerby Rychel, Brendan Leipsic, Kasperi Kapanen, and Colin Greening.

Leivo has put up exceptional numbers with the amount of games he has been fortunate enough to play. He has done whatever has been asked of him, and he has done it well. It is far too early to tell how good of an NHL player Leivo can end up being, but a proper shot at the NHL may be the only way to tell.

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