Toronto Maple Leafs: Trevor Moore is the Perfect Zach Hyman

Zach Hyman is hurt and the Toronto Maple Leafs are now without an extra forward.

Someone will need to be called up. “But who?”, you ask. Well, let me tell you.

Who else did you think it would be?

Since first joining the Leafs organization in the summer of 2016, Trevor Moore‘s rise up the depth chart from undrafted developmental camp attendee to now teetering on the cusp of NHL employment, all in just a three-year span, has been nothing short of meteoric.

The 23-year-old is many things; a stirring endorsement of Toronto’s cutting-edge development staff, modern hockey’s equivalent of a swiss-army knife, and a real-life testament to the value of process over immediate results.

Moore’s most important merit, however, is also the most basic.

He plays the right way. And that matters. Or, at least to Mike Babcock, it does.

Moulding one’s self into the ideal Mike Babcock Lineup Blueprint™ will forever be the deciding factor when it comes to promotions for the prospects in the Leafs’ system. Like it or not, that’s just the way things are. And while that very logic is sure to withhold a few otherwise worthy options from ultimately making the big-league jump, Moore is about as safe a bet as you can find.

The kid fills all the boxes.

Relentless puck hound? Check. Can play on either special team unit? Check. Annoying as hell (for the other team)? Uh, check, please!

Come to think of it, that all sounds eerily similar to Hyman. Which is not an accident, by the way. From a skill set standpoint, much of what cemented Hyman as a Babcock favourite on day one is now replicated in Moore.

Don’t take my word for it, though. Let the tape do the talking.

Here’s a goal from Hyman:

And here’s a goal from Moore:

Notice any similarities?

The pair shares a relentless ability to win puck battles along the boards – a skill then complemented by their respectively strong centres of gravity and acute net-front positioning which allow them to create open space. Neither Moore nor Hyman are the most skilled options on their teams or, even, on their lines for that matter. But they still make an impact, simply because they never stop.

It’s all there. But just for laughs, let’s run this again.

Here’s a goal from Hyman:

And here’s a goal from Moore:

I mean, come on.  

What you see above is Moore and Hyman at their best. Skulking in the weeds, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. They generate such a high number of turnovers because they wait to pounce during instances that are otherwise looked upon as routine.

Hyman is able to strip the Rangers defender along the boards because the other 99 times he’s made that play, the forechecker turns up the ice to anticipate a breakout. But Hyman is not your typical forechecker. He’s not supposed to be in that area at that time and yet, there he is.

Neither is Moore. In this case, Moore waits for the defender to commit fully to the outlet pass, engaging only as he attempts to transition the puck from backhand to forehand. That split second of space between stick and puck opens a window – for which Moore can generate a clean takeaway.

By stripping the puck cleanly, he can, in one motion, turn around and catch Hartford’s goaltender off guard, rather than getting caught in a net-front battle.

Babcock may have lost one favourite in Hyman, but there’s a good chance he just gained another.

Thanks for reading!