Toronto Maple Leafs: Small Sample Size Reactions

Preseason is underway, and the Toronto Maple Leafs are facing some decisions to make in the days to come.

The bulk of those decisions centre around the should-be Marlies that litter their split-squad rosters. And while it’s unlikely for those on the younger side of things to challenge for an NHL job directly out of camp, their performance in limited preseason action could very well dictate exactly how close they are, going lengths in earning them a shot down the line.

Then again, we’re one game in.

So, how have a few of these youngsters performed so far? Let me tell you.

Pierre Engvall

Again, it’s been one game. A single preseason bout versus what essentially amounts to the B-squad of the worst team in the NHL. Results should be taken with a pillar of salt.

And yet, I’m still slightly disappointed.

Pierre Engvall appeared to take gargantuan strides during the Marlies’ run to the Calder Cup, specifically in the less-sexy aspects of his game. A talented scorer with a nose for the net, Engvall operated largely on the perimeter upon his arrival in Toronto before a relocation to his team’s shutdown line for the entirety of the playoffs forced him to adapt.

From there, Engvall thrived, displaying new-found focus towards the defensive side of the puck while finally utilizing his 6’4 frame to its full capabilities, and, by and large, rounding out his skillset. All signs pointed to a breakout 2018-19 for the 22-year-old Swede and, to be really “pie in the sky” here, maybe even a late-season call-up.

Yeah, that’s not going to happen.

Engvall was pretty much invisible on Wednesday night, logging a smidge over 11 minutes in ice time to finish with no points, no hits, and one shot. Even outside the boxscore, there were few occasions when he appeared to impact the overall course of the game, flying firmly under the radar.

That’s a disappointing result for someone holding legitimate aspirations in this organization.

Sure, Babcock didn’t necessarily do Engvall any favours in regards to ice time, but it’s the preseason, and his relative inaction paints an unflattering picture in contrast to some fellow Marlies (we’ll get to them later).

Engvall wasn’t bad, per say. He just didn’t stand out in the way I’d hoped, and his play from last season suggested, that he would. Here’s hoping his next performance hints the opposite.

Jeremy Bracco

Fantasizing over Jeremy Bracco‘s inevitable breakout season is redundant at this point.

Since minute one of the rookie tournament, the 2015 second round pick has done nothing but produce gif-worthy highlights to drum up attendance on his rapidly selling out hype train.

Frankly, it’s hard to resist buying a ticket.

Bracco is a phenomenal playmaker, but you already knew that, right? Pure mechanics aside, it’s Bracco’s vision and wherewithal to find open teammates on the ice, regardless of space or situation, and then feed them perfectly timed passes in stride that’s downright jaw-dropping.

It’s one thing for a rookie prospect to prove overwhelming aptitude in a specific area of play. It’s another thing entirely for said prospect to enter his sophomore season having seemingly improved in that area by leaps and bounds.

It’s like if Adele released a terrific debut album, and then on her follow-up record, somehow got even better at singing. It’s not even fair.

https://twitter.com/davidnestico200/status/1042586292981248002

This is Bracco’s “Someone Like You”.

Most roster bubble players generally strive to accomplish one thing over the course of preseason play; make no mistakes. That means choosing the safe play over the low percentage one, definitely not turning the puck over, and, essentially, giving the coach no reason to build a negative association with their name. Not Bracco.

For better or for worse (and that this point, it’s for better), the kid takes risks, and that should absolutely be commended. Rather than opting for a drop pass or a chip down the wall in the clip above, Bracco displays the required confidence to thread a minuscule open-ice needle to Auston Matthews, effectively keeping the play alive and immediately generating a scoring chance.

Rather than wrapping the puck around the boards in hopes that a defender receives it at the opposite point, Bracco waits, head up the entire time, and hits a streaking Adam Brooks underneath the defence for another scoring chance.

Do you sense a trend here?

Yes, Bracco took two careless minor penalties, each a clear mental gaffe, but that should not discount how positive his overall performance ultimately was. Against something at the very least resembling NHL competition (it’s the Senators, but still), not only did Bracco keep pace, he stood out amongst his peers.

You have my permission to get excited.

Timothy Liljegren

Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin are shaping up to be a pretty attractive defence pairing in roughly two years time, don’t you think?

By and large, Liljegren has looked good, both in the rookie tournament and limited preseason play, exuding more on-ice poise and confidence than he ever did last season as the AHL’s lone 18-year-old defenceman. So, rather than repeat all the positive attributes of his early results – and believe me, there are many – I’m instead turning my focus to one particular area where Liljegren needs improvement.

He forces too many shots from the point. Like, way too many.

Watch Liljegren closely the next time he ventures into the offensive zone. Really watch him. You’ll see what I mean.

Let’s say Liljegren receives the puck at the top of the point. Sure, he’ll play give and go with his partner, maybe dish it along the half wall to a winger if pressured, or even carry it down himself to scope out a passing lane. But, if given even the slightest sliver of daylight between point and goaltender, he takes the shot. 9 times out of 10.

Now, taking the shot isn’t always a bad thing. Not in the slightest. In fact, Liljegren has a wicked wrister – when used correctly – and if he can learn to deploy it in a more accurate fashion (maybe by toning down the ridiculous toe curve), it’s bound to become one of his more lethal offensive weapons.

You can’t knock the kid for trying.

Only, here’s the thing. In daily life, especially in the infected cesspool known as “online”, I try to operate by asking myself one simple question; is this the hill I want to die on? More often than not, the answer is no.

When it comes to Liljegren and shot selection, every hill is the one worth dying on. And that just won’t fly in the NHL.

There is so much that Liljegren does at a heightened level, be it lateral quickness, obscene stretch passes, overall hockey sense, etc, so it may seem like this is nitpicking. Only, Liljegren is also a first-round pick, a Calder Cup champion, and a pivotal fixture in the blueprint of the Leafs’ future.

He should be held to a high standard. This is what that looks like.

Am I impressed with Liljegren so far? You bet your bottom dollar I am. But that still doesn’t mean he lacks room for improvement.

Trevor Moore

Folks, I’m about to do something which pains me to my very core. I’m going to levy criticism on Trevor Moore.

That rhyme was unintentional.

Moore actually performed quite well in his lone preseason audition. The 23-year-old set the tone early on Tuesday, generating the Leafs’ first scoring chance of the game before later kickstarting the rush which led to Andreas Borgman‘s 2-1 marker in the second period.

Moore seemingly repeated the bulk of what earned his game such high praise during the Calder Cup playoffs. All was well.

At least, it appeared that way. Until I saw this.

He’s right. Darn it, he’s right.

Moore isn’t an overwhelmingly hesitant player. Not in the general sense. He’s aggressive in the corners, attacks each zone without abandon, hounds down opposing puck carriers like a dog on a bone, and regularly forces his way to the net in heavy traffic.

It’s in open ice, however, where this hesitation kicks in.

There are two alternate courses of action for Moore to have taken in the clip above; either receive the pass and absorb what was shaping up to be a crushing hit, or quickly chip the puck off the boards to a teammate, resulting in a possible turnover. Despite the latter serving as the decidedly lower-percentage option, both would have been better than what he ultimately chose.

This is a weakness, one Moore needs to iron out if he stands any chance at logging big league minutes in the near future. It’s easy to see why.

Mike Babcock has repeatedly shown a preference for smaller, aggressive depth wingers of Moore’s ilk in the Connor Browns and Zach Hymans of the world, making it far from a stretch to assume that this is a Moore could follow. Only, both Brown and Hyman have repeatedly proven themselves willing to sacrifice their bodies in the name of making a play.

Sure, the initial pass was a textbook suicide feed courtesy of Igor Ozhiganov. Nevertheless, even if Moore opts for the aforementioned chip method and turns the puck over, he at least demonstrates to Babcock that his intentions are fixated on extending the play, rather than to protect his own standing.

It’s a small adjustment in the grand scheme of things, but it may just end up being responsible for holding Moore back.

Thanks for reading!

All gifs & footage courtesy of TSN & Sportsnet.