Toronto Maple Leafs: Igor Ozhiganov Still Shows Promise

LUCAN, ON - SEPTEMBER 18: Igor Ozhiganov #92 of the Toronto Maple Leafs makes his way to the ice prior to a preseason game against the Ottawa Senators during Kraft Hockeyville Canada at the Lucan Community Memorial Centre on September 18, 2018 in Lucan, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)
LUCAN, ON - SEPTEMBER 18: Igor Ozhiganov #92 of the Toronto Maple Leafs makes his way to the ice prior to a preseason game against the Ottawa Senators during Kraft Hockeyville Canada at the Lucan Community Memorial Centre on September 18, 2018 in Lucan, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Mark Blinch/NHLI via Getty Images)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are off to a historically good start.

With a record of 5-1-0 in their first six games, the Toronto Maple Leafs are having an incredible season offensively thus far. The Leafs currently feature four players in the NHL’s top five scoring leaders, with forward Auston Matthews and defenseman Morgan Rielly leading the pack with 14 and 13 points respectively. Forwards Mitch Marner and John Tavares are tied for fourth place with ten points apiece.

As of now, all four of these guys are on pace for over 80 points which is a truly special affair. While it’s unknown if they can maintain their pace, there’s no doubt that the Leafs are an elite team and now the results are finally beginning to show.

On that note, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows in the Leafs’ world.

Trouble on the D-core

They still have to figure out their defensive woes. In my opinion, the only two defensemen on the Leafs’ core that have played well enough to guarantee themselves a spot in the lineup all year are Morgan Rielly and Travis Dermott. Everybody else had a significant amount of hiccups.

While guys like Jake Gardiner, Nikita Zaitsev, and Ron Hainsey are all mainstays on the defensive core, none of them has been stellar this season. And aside from them, that sixth spot has been a revolving door. Martin Marincin and Igor Ozhiganov have been taking turns on the bottom pairing while AHL journeyman Justin Holl hasn’t even gotten a look yet despite a spectacular showing in the two games he got in last season.

Out of all the guys battling for that final spot, Ozhiganov’s name is the most intriguing.

Igor Ozhiganov in the NHL

The Maple Leafs signed Ozhiganov out of Russia this past offseason with help from fellow Russian D-Man Nikita Zaitsev, who supposedly gave a very positive review of his countryman. Standing tall at 6’2 and 207lbs, Ozzy is right-handed and was said to play a very solid defensive game with the ability to chip in offensively and a very good physical game to his name.

In the small sample size we’ve gotten from Ozzy this season, he hasn’t looked good but also hasn’t looked bad. And while some people were quick to demand a replacement, he really hasn’t done anything to give him a reason to ride the pine.

While yes, Ozhiganov is 26, it’s also worth mentioning that he’s still an NHL rookie and he’s never had the experience of playing on North American ice. Not once.

A big part of the Krasnogorsk native’s issues has been his lack of confidence on the ice. He often looks shaky with the puck and has trouble executing a clean breakout out of the defensive zone.

That scouting report sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It should. Because that’s often a struggle most first-year NHL defensemen deal with. Ozhiganov has still been able to finish his checks and he still shows glimpses of the tools that he possesses, so don’t be so quick to call for his head and demand he rides the pine. We’re only six games into the season.

The point of this article wasn’t to determine Ozzy’s fate. For obvious reasons, fans aren’t the ones who make the final call and say “He sucks, send him to the AHL” or “He’s amazing, put him on the top pairing”. It was merely to suggest that despite his play not being perfect, he’s still shown that he has the tools to be a solid NHL defenseman in the future.

If he needs a little bit of time in the AHL to hone his skills and adjust to the North American game, then so be it. But ultimately that’s a decision that’s up to Leafs brass and coaching. Not to us fans. We need to stick to our jobs of coaching/managing from our armchairs with a Canadian in hand.

Thanks for reading!