Even in the driest period of the offseason, there is still plenty to talk about when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As always, the EIL staff have been working overboard to keep you informed of every angle. With so many articles hitting the, as the kids say, interwebs, it’s easy for some to slip through the cracks.
So, here are a few notable pieces from this past week.
Leafs Need a Shootout Specialist
With Tyler Bozak departing to St. Louis, the Leafs lost their true shootout specialist. Bozak’s ability to be money in the shootout, using the same move every time I might add, was crucial to grabbing an extra point in a tight Atlantic Division.
Now that he’s gone, who will step up? Matthew has some ideas.
“In nine total shootouts for the season, Bozak was involved in six of them for the Toronto Maple Leafs. In those six shootouts, Bozak was successful five times, resulting in five shootout wins. The only attempt Bozak was stopped resulted in a loss against Florida. After that loss, Bozak went 5 for 5 the rest of the season.
Losing Tyler Bozak hurts the Toronto Maple Leafs in an area where they have been acceptable at best the past four NHL seasons. Strength in the shootout is a valuable asset to have for any NHL team, and losing Bozak raises questions as to how they will earn their shootout wins going forward into the 2018/2019 NHL season.”
Best Power Play This Season
After adding John Tavares, the Leafs are blessed with some option to fill out their PP units.
In this piece, Michael breaks them down.
“With the likes of Auston Matthews and John Tavares on their roster, the Leafs have one of the best offensive cores in the NHL. This will translate well when they are on the man advantage.
Toronto can go two ways with their power play. They can either make one unit (like the Pittsburgh Penguins) that has their best players on the ice for just about the full two minutes. By the way, Pittsburgh led the NHL with a PP% of 26.2 so they are clearly on to something. The other strategy is to make two equally dominating power plays. Separate Matthews and Tavares and have them running their own power plays.”
Timothy Liljegren Should Play Soon
How far along is Timothy Liljegren in his development? When should he make the jump to the big leagues? If he does, will he be ready?
These are all questions Matthew answers in the piece below.
“Liljegren was the 17th overall pick in last year’s entry draft. A strong offensive defenceman, he definitely has a huge upside and is considered to actually be a draft steal.
Let’s not forget, at one point he was ranked the second best prospect in that draft. Although he fell down in the rankings due to having mono, affecting his play time, he still has the raw talent and potential to develop into a very effective NHL player.”
Thanks for reading! Be sure to stay tuned for more great content.