The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the deepest forward groups in the League.
No, seriously. Take a look at the Toronto Maple Leafs line combinations from last night.
Hyman – Matthews – Marner
Komarov – Kadri – Soshnikov
JVR – Bozak – Nylander
Leivo – Marleau – Brown
Looking at that lineup alone, there isn’t a single line out of the four that can’t score. All of them are a threat offensively. You’ve got at least one 20 goal scorer on each line (Matthews, Kadri, JVR, Marleau) and there doesn’t seem to be a line that doesn’t have a chance to make something happen when they’re out there.
Obviously, these lines won’t stick. Grinder Matt Martin will be back in the lineup tonight and likely for a good chunk of the rest of the season, and fourth line centre Dominic Moore will likely find his way into the lineup for a few games.
However, if the Leafs want to ice the best possible lineup every night, there’s one name that must remain in the lineup every night, and that’s Josh Leivo.
Leivo as a Maple Leaf
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Josh Leivo has been a Leaf since 2013-14. The catch is that he’s never been an everyday player. Pretty far from it, actually.
The most games he’s played in a single season has been 13, and that was last season.
However, every single time Leivo has been in the lineup, he’s made an impact. Two years ago, he appeared in 12 games and scored five goals in his first six games.
Last season, he appeared in 13 games and put up 10 points. Also, one could argue that he’s got one of if not the best releases on the team. Take a look at this goal.
How to Adjust the Lineup
One player that really doesn’t need to be in the lineup is Dominic Moore. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great fourth line centre and he’s good on draws and on the PK. But as of late, veteran Patrick Marleau has been playing up the middle and finding success doing so. It’s no secret that Mike Babcock wants Martin in the lineup, so with Martin and Leivo both being there, this is the lineup they should ice for the rest of the season.
Hyman – Matthews – Marner
JVR – Marleau – Nylander
Komarov – Kadri – Leivo
Martin – Bozak – Brown
I think it’s about time to split up JVR and Bozak. Connor Brown has found success with Bozak in the past and having Marleau up the middle along with JVR and Nylander could create tons of scoring chances. And as for Leivo, he produces much better when he’s playing alongside good players, so he could thrive next to Kadri. Brown, meanwhile, doesn’t necessarily need good players alongside him to produce and he gets powerplay time, so his role alongside Bozak works.
Like I said before. If the Leafs want to ice the best possible lineup, then Leivo needs to play every day. He could be a 15-20 goal scorer by the end of the season if he plays daily.