Toronto Maple Leafs: Zach Bogosian Should Not be an Everyday Player

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed unrestricted free agent Zach Bogosian to a one-year deal just a few weeks ago.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Zach Bogosian to a one year deal, many fans began to guess where he will fit in the  Leafs lineup.  The truth is, Bogosian should not be an everyday player.

He would be used best in a platoon with Rasmus Sandin or Mikko Lehtonen. Those two players, along with Travis Dermott and  Bogosian will be rotating in and out of the  Leafs bottom pair, until or unless someone outright wins a job.

The top defense pairing for the Leafs will most likely be Morgan Rielly with newcomer T.J. Brodie. The second pairing will probably be the pair of Jake Muzzin – Justin Holl reunited from last season.

That leaves the Leafs with Dermott, Bogosian, Sandin, and Lehtonen for the fifth, sixth and seventh spots on the team’s blueline.  You can’t fault the Leafs for going after a lot of depth – especially given that the season may be somewhat condensed – but where will everyone play?

Bogosian Best Suited For A Platoon Role

Bogosian would benefit the team best by playing a platoon role and not playing every game. I think it would be best for him to be used in back to back situations or against teams who play a more physical style. The fact is that while Bogosian is a physical presence, he has almost no history of being success in the NHL at 5v5.  The Leafs play a high-tempo game that focuses on puck possession and that is not Bogosian’s strength, at all.

Adding a player like Bogosian to the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup was the right thing for general manager Kyle Dubas to do because it gives the team a different dimension that it may not have previously had.  That doesn’t mean he needs to play every night for that to be a factor.  Regardless of the need for this type of player, its hard to justify playing him over developing players like Sandin or Dermott.

Having him play in about 40% of the Leafs games and as a voice in the locker room is the best scenario for the team, unless Sandin or Lehtonen forces the team to play them every night. There will be games played in which Bogosian’s  physical presence will need to available. It is for those games and the grind of the NHL playoffs that the  Leafs signed Bogosian.

Bogosian  has 1,133 regular season hits during his career. During the Tampa Bay Lightning’s recent playoff run that ended with winning the Stanley Cup, Bogosian had 44 hits in 20 games.  That makes him a welcome addition to the team, just not as a key player.