Toronto Maple Leafs: Top Playoff “X-Factor” Candidates for Next Season
Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren
Sometimes, the playoff “X-factor” is someone who wasn’t in your lineup at the beginning of the season, whether it’s a late season call-up, or a deadline addition to bolster your team.
Some obvious candidates for players who aren’t firmly on the Toronto Maple Leafs opening day roster right now to make a difference come playoffs are the Leafs top two defensive prospects, Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren.
Both had short NHL auditions last season, but the Leafs offseason moves would suggest that they would like to give both a longer time to develop. The path ahead is particularly crowded for Sandin on the left side, but should Travis Dermott fail to impress, Sandin could get a shot on the third pairing, and possibly move higher up from there.
The path is a little easier for Liljegren. While T.J. Brodie and Justin Holl firmly occupy the first two spots at RD, the third pairing spot is up for grabs. European signee Mikko Lehtonen and free agent signing Zach Bogosian have to be considered the frontrunners out of the gate, but it is likely that Liljegren factors in at some point.
If either of those two – or Nick Robertson on forward – are playing solid minutes with the Leafs come the playoffs, they have the talent to be an “X-factor.”
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Another possibility is an in-season or deadline acquisition, when Assistant GM and Leafs’ cap wizard Brandon Pridham will have more salary cap flexibility to play with. You don’t have to look too far back to find a deadline acquisition who played a key role in a cup run – the Lightning had a few.