Editor In Leaf
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Toronto Maple Leafs: the 4th Line Left-Winger Problem

By John

CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 24: General manager Lou Lamoriello of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on during the 2017 NHL Draft at United Center on June 24, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - JUNE 24: General manager Lou Lamoriello of the Toronto Maple Leafs looks on during the 2017 NHL Draft at United Center on June 24, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Who is the Toronto Maple Leafs fourth best left winger?

With the Playoffs on the horizon, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a bit of a problem regarding their fourth line: who should play left wing?  Over the course of the season, we’ve seen Dominic Moor, Matt Martin, and Josh Leivo take turns playing on the 4th line as a Left winger.  The question is; who will be the fourth line LW for the Toronto Maple Leafs come playoffs?

If the question was who SHOULD be the fourth line RW come playoffs, the answer would be Andreas Johnsson.  But the Toronto Maple Leafs have taken the over-mature approach to their prospect pool and haven’t given Johnsson a sniff of the NHL.  Johnsson is currently tearing up the AHL and attempting to win that league’s scoring title, and he would clearly be an improvement over anything the Leafs have been employing at the NHL level.

At 23, and a seventh-round pick of the Maple Leafs, Johnsson is a speedy winger that is producing at a point per game pace in the AHL (25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points in 53 games). Perhaps he would have been given a chance had JVR been traded at the trade deadline, but the Leafs chose to keep him. I mean, who is going to replace JVR?  A fourth line of Johnsson, Plekanec, and Kapanen would give the Leafs four scoring lines.

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But I digress.

4th Line

The question was who WILL be the fourth line left winger. To answer this, we have to understand Mike Babcock. And once you do, I think it becomes quite clear that Dominic Moore will be the guy.

Mike Babcock loves some guys and cares very little for others (see Frank Corrado). And the guys that he loves tend to play more than their more talented counterparts (see Polak over Carrick).  Dominic Moore is the most trusted of the three guys and will come in to win draws. A big plus for a guy looking to earn a spot on a Mike Babcock team. Once you add in that Moore can kill penalties, something that he has not allowed Leivo or Martin to do, the answer becomes so clear.  Dominic Moore will be the fourth line Left Winger and second PK unit guy.

Next: Will the Leafs Look to Trade for Tavares Rights?

Until Kyle Dubas takes over for Lou Lamoriello, expect the Moores, Polaks, and Martins of the world to continue to jockey for positions on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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