Fansided

Toronto Maple Leafs Brendan Leipsic Selected by Vegas

By Bruce Harte Ashley |
Oct 7, 2016; Hamilton, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Josh Leivo (32) congratulates Toronto Maple Leafs forward Brendan Leipsic (39) on his goal against the the Detroit Red Wings during the first period of a preseason hockey game at First Ontario Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2016; Hamilton, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Josh Leivo (32) congratulates Toronto Maple Leafs forward Brendan Leipsic (39) on his goal against the the Detroit Red Wings during the first period of a preseason hockey game at First Ontario Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

 Toronto Maple Leafs Brendan Leipsic is now a Golden Knight

The Toronto Maple Leafs have lost Brendan Leipsic in the expansion draft.  Social Media was up in arms when the Leafs revealed the protection list. Matt Martin was protected, Brendan Leipsic was not.

Leipsic was acquired from the Nashville Predators for Cody Franson February, 15th, 2015. Leipsic was the Marlies top PPG (points per game) skater in the 2016-17 season with 18 goals and 33 assists in 49 games, for 1.04 PPG average. Only six players with a minimum of 40 AHL games had a better PPG average last season. Leipsic was best known for his offensive skill and his abrasive chippy style of play. The following clip shows Leipsic drawing an unsportsmanlike penalty for drinking from the goalie’s water bottle. No doubt he was public enemy number one after this stunt.

Leipsic was a Fan Favourite

As a regular attendee at many Marlies games, I can describe first hand that Leipsic was a fan favourite at the Ricoh Collesium. While we watched in awe, Leipsic’s offensive talents astounded. Speed, Speed and more speed. Dancing around opponents. Opening lanes. Releasing a wicked shot that often fooled goaltenders.

Leipsic brought the crowd to their feet game in, game out. Every time he touched the puck, something happened. All things considered, from his WHL scoring title to his consistent production with the Marlies, no one questioned his offensive abilities. Unfortunately, the depth of the organization kept him in the AHL.

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Leipsic not a Babcock Type of Player

The Toronto Maple Leafs gambled and lost Leipsic in the Expansion draft. Regrettably,  Leipsic could not have played for Mike Babcock while he remained a giveaway machine. Arguably his greatest strength was also a weakness. His tendency is to hang on to the puck, search for that opening while skating himself into trouble. I do not have stats to back this up, only game insight.

While Leipsic was on the ice, the opposition had more odd man rushes than any other Marlies forward. He is a good penalty killer and a threat from the faceoff circle on the power play. His poor decision-making with the puck caused his coach to grind his teeth.

Sheldon Keefe discussing Brendan LeipsicHe had some really dominant stretches of play this season that show that his skill set, his abilities are beyond this level but he also continues to be a guy that shows the other side and can be careless or irresponsible with the puck. On the other side of it defensively he shows that he can kill penalties, he can be hard to play against because he’s smart and he gets in position and he’s got some edge and grit to his game. It’s time for him to take that step but without question you watched his season as a whole where there were times where he looked like a player that doesn’t belong in the league, not one who does belong here and has warts in his game. pensionplanpuppets.com

 The Toronto Maple Leafs, Depth at Left Wing

The Maple Leafs have depth. The Burke/Nonis days of empty prospects cupboards are the polar opposite to the current regime where there isn’t room for everyone. In addition to the fantastic job by Mark Hunter and his staff acquiring talent, Kyle Dubas, Sheldon Keefe and the Marlies staff provide the tools to develop the kids. Ultimately, Leipsic at 23 had fallen down the depth chart. As a consequence of the third concussion of his career, (possibly more) the Leafs felt his risks outweighed his upside.

Next: Matthews Wins Calder

Hyman, JVR, Komarov and Martin represent the Leafs present. Grundstrom, Walker, Bobylyov, Chebykin, Dzierkals and Timashov represent the Leafs future on left-wing. For these reasons and due to his waiver ineligibility,  the time had run out for Brendan Leipsic.

Brendan, from your fans and the supporters of the Toronto Marlies, we will miss you. Good luck with your career and the new team. We wish you great success, of course, not against the Leafs.

all stats: hockeydb.com, eliteprospects.com, theahl.com

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