Toronto Maple Leafs Can Afford to Let Bozak Walk

Tyler Bozak has been no stranger to criticism from fans during his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Bozak, the longest-tenured Toronto Maple Leaf on the current roster, has faced criticism for his defensive awareness, and whether or not he was a true number one centre during the Ron Wilson and Randy Carlyle eras in Toronto.

Bozak will be a pending UFA in July, and with the NHL’s trade deadline just days away, his name has popped up occasionally lately in some trade talks. The Leafs will make the playoffs, so dealing Bozak at the deadline doesn’t really make much sense at the moment. Whether or not that means he comes back next season is a different story.

In the unlikely event he does dealt, let’s take a look at some of Bozak’s strengths to see exactly what the Toronto Maple Leafs would need to replace (and what other teams might be looking for) if he were to leave. Even if he stays past the deadline, there’s a pretty good chance the team might have moved on from him once the off-season hits.

Shorthanded Breakaways

Although not considered the most defensively responsible, Bozak used to play on the penalty kill (under Ron Wilson, Randy Carlyle, and Peter Horachek). Bozak has had five shorthanded breakaway goals throughout his career. The most recent was back in 2014-15, since he was removed from the penalty kill upon Mike Babcock’s arrival.

His most iconic shorthanded goal was the one scored killing a 5-on-3 against New Jersey in 2011. After Bozak won the faceoff, the Leafs cleared the puck and Bozak pressured the Devils defence, stealing the puck and taking it all the way down the ice for a goal. Bozak’s other four shorties came against Winnipeg in 2013, Montreal in 2013, Detroit in 2014, and Pittsburgh in 2014.

What makes Bozak so effective on the breakaway is his speed and that he doesn’t always use the same move in tight. Three of Bozak’s shorties were wrist shots, and the other two (New Jersey and Detroit) were off the backhand. He also picks a different part of the net on each shot, making it difficult to predict where he’s thinking. Of his two backhand goals, one went top shelf, and the other went blocker-side. His wrist shot goals have all went under the arm, top shelf, and blocker side.

We don’t see much of Bozak on the penalty kill anymore simply because Babcock has other players at his disposal. Zach Hyman and Connor Brown are faster options. While the Leafs PK has improved by leaps and bounds since Bozak has come off, one could also attribute its success to Babcock’s arrival. It is impressive that Bozak was able to have as much shorthanded success as he did before Babcock took over.

More from Editor In Leaf

• Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson Healthy and Ready
• Ryan Reaves Will Have Zero Impact on Toronto Maple Leafs
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Playing Max Domi In Top-Six a HUGE Mistake
• Top 10 Scandals in the History of the Toronto Maple Leafs
• Toronto Maple Leafs: Results from the Traverse City Prospects Tournament

Shootout Success

If there’s one area of Bozak’s game that Leafs fans can agree he excels in, it’s the shootout. He has scored on 3 of 4 shootout attempts so far this season, also averaging 75% back in 2010-11. He was 60% in 2013, and in 2013-14. He’s averaged 36.8% in the shootout over his career, and is among the NHL’s top 60 players in shootout percentage (not including going 3/4 this season).  Including his totals so far this season, Bozak jumps into the top 40 with his impressive 75%, bumping his career shootout percentage to 40.5%. Although his career numbers don’t seem too impressive, the average NHL player’s shootout percentage is only 31.18% since the shootout was adopted.

Babcock hasn’t used Bozak in the shootout much this season, likely due to his struggles in the last two seasons (1 for 7 in 2014-15, 0 for 3 last year). Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner have replaced him here. Bozak is often not considered unless the shootout goes longer than three rounds. However, Bozak was the only goal-scorer in the shootout against the Islanders on Thursday. Unfortunately, there are no shootouts in the playoffs, so Bozak’s effectiveness in this category only goes as far as April.

Bozak’s Future

Matthews’ injury Thursday night opened the door for Nylander to play centre consistently. If he impresses Babcock, that likely pushes Bozak further out the door. It’s highly unlikely he gets dealt Monday simply because he has a modified no-trade clause that requires him to submit 12 teams that he would be open to go to.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have other options throughout the lineup to use in the shootout. Both Matthews and JVR are 50% in the shootout this season. Brown and Hyman have successfully replaced Bozak the penalty kill. As a result, he hasn’t had the opportunity to score shorthanded.

As of right now, Toronto should keep Bozak around for the playoffs. Afterwards, if the Leafs decide Bozak is not a part of their future, they can afford to let him walk. It would be in their best interests to try and trade him, but they didn’t give anything up to get him in the first place. The intangibles he does bring can be replicated by other players on the team.

Next: Best Leafs Trades of the Last 5-10 Years

Of course, we’re a long way from that happening right now. If this is truly Bozak’s last season with the Leafs, Leafs fans can take pride in the fact that they didn’t chase him out of town like past players. Let’s just hope the season ends on a high note.

Statistics from Hockey Reference, Sporting Charts, and Cap Friendly.