The Toronto Maple Leafs are back, baby!
The regular season is gradually reaching the winter break, and the Editor in Leaf staff have been working around the clock to bring you, our loyal readers, right into the middle of the action. Every angle has been covered, and every stone has been overturned.
With so many stories hitting the wall all at once, it’s easy to lose a few in the shuffle. So, enjoy this roundup of this week’s notable pieces.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Is Par Lindholm Any Good?
Par Lindholm is Toronto’s international man of mystery. Seriously, try to name one unique fact about him. You can’t. Arriving over the summer in a cloud of mystery, fans know practically the same about him now as they did 5 months ago.
Even his playing style mimics his anonymity. Which, despite sounding like an insult, can be a good thing. Lindholm plays a simple game. He wins faceoffs, focuses almost entirely on his defensive responsibilities, and is basically just a steady dude.
But is he any good? That kind of matters. This question is what Michael dives into in his latest piece.
Give it a read!
“At the time of writing, he has a Corsi-for% of 41.52% and his shots-for, goals-for and scoring chances-for percentages are even worse. What this means is that whenever Lindholm is on the ice, his team has the puck less, gets out-chanced and out-scored by the opposition.
There have been a few instances in the past few games in which Lindholm’s line got burned for a few goals against. This one in particular against the Tampa Bay Lightning was by far the most notable given the context of the game.
Most notably, Lindholm has among the lowest goals above replacement values on the Leafs roster as a whole. With a GAR of -1.70, it is the second worst on the team with Nikita Zaitsev being the only one worse than Lindholm.”
Toronto Maple Leafs: What I Want for Christmas
Ah, Christmas. That magical time of year when a heavy-set factory owner breaks into your house and eats your food, all while you trust him not to kill your entire family. Fun stuff!
Christmas is also the season of giving. And when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs, their fanbase might be the most demanding of all.
Which brings us to Josh, who has a few things he wants to receive from the Leafs this christmas. Is he being reasonable? Are his demands too outrageous? Will the Leafs care at all about what him or anyone else asks of them?
Aside from a staunch “no” to that last one, those questions are all unclear. Give Josh’s piece a read and decide for yourself.
“For Christmas this year, I would like alternating days off for Nikita Zaitsev, Ron Hainsey and Igor Ozhiganov. Personally, I have liked Zaitsev’s play away from the puck. But he is horrible with it.
Hainsey is great on the PK. But man, he is old and it is showing more and more. Ozhiganov has looked increasingly confident and has a great CF% of 53.2, but he is a right-handed defender and we have another right-handed D I would like to see with an extended stretch of games.”
Toronto Maple Leafs: Cash In on the Struggling Kings
A wise man once said: “a good GM is someone who can identify who the bad GMs are and then call them all the time”. Rob Blake is a bad GM. Under his stewardship, the Kings are floundering near the bottom of the standings with a rapidly ageing roster and little in the realm of cap space.
Kyle Dubas, on the other hand, is a good GM. And, as Jack suggests in his piece from this week, the latter should have the former on speed dial. It just makes sense.
If you were the Leafs, who would you target from the Kings? Give Jack’s piece a read to see whether or not he shares a similar mindset.
“Another option on the blueline could be Alec Martinez. A relatively stable defender, he may be slotted in as a veteran presence, offering a slight upgrade. Though, at $4,000,000 for the next two and a half season, some salary retention may be needed.
The Marlies may also offer some value to the Kings. They’ve had their early season struggles and have made some moves to improve and have since been on the upswing. The Ontario Reign sit second last in the AHL, however, and the two may be able to help each other out.”
Thanks for reading!