The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves poised to make a deep playoff run, but with the NHL trade deadline fast approaching, depth remains an area for improvement.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are a grind. For those fortunate enough to make the final round for Lord Stanley’s Cup, a team’s season can stretch in excess of 100 games. Considering the noticeably more physical style of games in the NHL playoffs, injuries are inevitable.
The last ten teams that have made the Stanley Cup Final used an average of 14.8 forwards and 7.2 defensemen in their playoff run: A total of 22 skaters.
A good test to know if a team is prepared to go deep into the playoffs is to assess whether the team would be comfortable suiting up their 15th forward or 8th defenseman for a Stanley Cup Final game.
Veteran teams such as the Pittsburgh Penguins have wisely accumulated depth in preparation for this year’s playoffs. Looking at the Penguins’ roster, Joseph Blandisi and Jimmy Hayes appear to occupy the 14th and 15th forward slots, combining for over 400 NHL games of experience between them.
Forwards
At this point, that veteran presence is a luxury that the Toronto Maple Leafs do not have. The 14th forward on the Leafs appears to be Trevor Moore and the 15th forward would likely be either Jeremy Bracco or Pierre Engvall. Those 3 players have a combined 7 games of NHL experience, all of which have been played by Moore.
Adding a veteran forward such as Wayne Simmonds could give the Leafs the experience they need at a reasonable price. Simmonds would be a natural fit for the team, bringing a physical element to the lineup as well as a strong net-front presence that could kickstart the Leafs power play.
In recent years, the Leafs have lacked the physical edge to compete with teams such as the Boston Bruins in playoff hockey. As a motivated Toronto-born player, Simmonds could be the ideal candidate to give the team the toughness they need.
Considering Simmonds’ reduced production on an offensively pedestrian Flyers team, as well as his UFA status following this season, Simmonds is a strong buy-low candidate on a team motivated to sell.
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Defence
On defence, the Leafs appear to be better equipped from a depth standpoint after the recent acquisition of Jake Muzzin. Considering the statistics referenced above, teams that make the Stanley Cup Final typically use only one extra defenseman, compared to three extra forwards.
Igor Ozhiganov’s play has been steady of late and he would be an acceptable 7th defenseman to enter the playoffs with. Calle Rosen (who has made major progress in the AHL this season), Justin Holl and Martin Marincin also provide some added options if the Leafs lose another defenseman come playoff time.
That being said, an area of weakness for the Leafs is that they lack right-handed shooting defenseman. The team’s current top six has only one right-handed shot (Nikita Zaitsev) who has struggled as of late.
It remains to be seen whether the Leafs would be willing to take on a contract beyond this season or pay the necessary price for a player at this premium position.
With three weeks until the February 25th trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs should have depth at the top of their priority list.
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Statistics courtesy of NHL.com and CapFriendly.com