Toronto Maple Leafs: Why Josh Leivo Needs to Play More

When it comes to players on the Toronto Maple Leafs roster, Josh Leivo tends to be considered an afterthought.

That’s because since making his NHL debut during the 2013-14 season, his usage by the team is best described as sporadic. Throughout his career so far, he has recorded 10 goals, 12 assists, and 22 points in only 57 games spread across five seasons.

Despite a limited showing, Leivo has proven to be useful when he does suit up for the Leafs.

Leivo possesses a great shot and a nice release that can fool any goalie when given time and space. He has also shown to have some quick feet along with some good offensive awareness, demonstrated by his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes last November.

At 6’2” and 210 pounds, he has good size for a forward, which he can use to his advantage. In the following two video links, he shows strength in providing a great net-front presence to screen the goalie either to deflect a shot or fire home a high-scoring chance.

His underlying stats as per Natural Stat Trick suggest he is a decent player all-around, especially since he possesses a career Corsi-For rating of 51.9%. When compared to new arrival, Tyler Ennis, Leivo appears to be a stronger player overall by this SKATR chart.

Why he’s not playing much

Despite his good showing in small bunches, the Leafs depth chart on Roster Resource shows that Leivo is in an uphill battle to get into the lineup. It also doesn’t help that the Leafs spent this summer acquiring more forwards such as Ennis and Josh Jooris.

Additionally, his usage in recent years has put him in situations he couldn’t shine in. This past season alone saw his oZS% reach a career-low 30.1, which could explain why he only managed to record 1 goal, 3 assists, and 4 points the previous year.

For a player with strong offensive abilities such as Leivo, he should be put into more situations where he can get a chance to produce. As you can see in this power-play sequence against the San Jose Sharks from 2017, this is the kind of player he can be and what role he should be given.

According to CapFriendly.com, Leivo is only under contract for one season, which puts his long-term view into question given his infrequent usage. It also doesn’t help that he requested a trade back in February according to Mark Scheing of The Hockey Writer.

In short, this is not an ideal position for the 25-year-old forward to be in, who should soon be entering the prime of his career. The lack of playing time and improper placement in the lineup has made his future with the team become increasingly murkier each passing season.

A potential opening

This season will be his eighth year with the organization and he should be out to prove he belongs in the NHL for good. Back in February, Leivo said this to TSN regarding his future:

"“I just want to play hockey,” Leivo said after the morning skate on Monday. “I do want to play for the Maple Leafs, that’s why I signed [a one-year contract extension in November]. But at the same point I just want to play, right?”"

With James van Riemsdyk departing the team via free agency back in July, Leivo could fill the void left behind by the forward and finally get what he has been asking for.

As mentioned earlier, Leivo has shown multiple times he can be a solid net-front presence for both even strength and the power-play. Riemsdyk’s biggest asset was that exact same thing, which he was able to do this year on the third line. This would make Leivo a perfect fit to replicate a bit of this playing style.

In fact, being on the third line could be a huge benefit for him since the John Tavares signing has “forced” Nazem Kadri down the lineup. If Leivo gets to play on the ice with a skilled offensive player like Kadri, perhaps this will unlock his true offensive potential.

In short, the numbers and eye test suggests that Leivo can and should be a permanent NHL player. His underlying numbers show that he is a solid offensive weapon and has the tools necessary to help ease the loss of van Riemsdyk.

The Leafs need to give Leivo a chance to play because he is well overdue for a longer look. Otherwise, trade him to a team who will gladly give him an opportunity.

All stats unless otherwise noted are from Hockey-Reference.com.