3 Toronto Maple Leafs That Could be Underrated Next Year
The Toronto Maple Leafs are known for their offensive talent, but some players may be flying under the radar.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have quite a few star players, and because of this some other players do not get the credit they deserve. Last season players like Justin Holl and Alex Kerfoot put up some very good numbers, and then spend the whole off-season listening to trade rumours.
In the upcoming season, the Leafs are going to ice the deepest and most talented team that they have so far in the Auston Matthews Era. Some players are going to suffer the same fate next season that Kerfoot and Holl did last year.
These are our picks for next year’s underrated Leafs.
3. Travis Dermott – 23 years old – D
2019-20 stats – 56 GP – 4 G – 7 A – 11 PTS – 49.8% CF%
Career stats – 157 GP – 9 G – 32 A – 41 PTS – 52.3% CF%
Dermott recently re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on cheap one-year contract. Still just 23 years old, this coming season is going to be big for Dermott for more than one reason. First off he’s going to be playing for a bigger and better contract. Second, the Leafs have accumulated more NHL regulars than they can possibly dress, so Dermott’s ice time is not guaranteed and he will be playing for his job every night.
Dermott took big steps when key guys had went down with injury last season, and has generally destroyed third pairing minutes during his entire time as a Leaf. It is now time for him to show he can play higher in the lineup. ( All stats from Hockey-Reference.com)
2. Wayne Simmonds – 32 years old – RW/LW
2019-20 stats – 68 GP – 8 G – 17 A – 25 PTS – 47.2% CF%
Career stats – 909 GP – 251 G – 248 A – 499 PTS – 49.6% CF%
Wayne Simmonds will more than likely be an underrated player on this team next season mainly because expectations are so low.
The Leafs more or less brought Simmonds in to replace Kyle Clifford, so if he scores at all he’s going to be a pleasant surprise. A chance to play on a very skilled and fast paced Maple Leafs team could well revitalize his career.
Simmonds said after he got signed by Toronto that this is the healthiest and best he’s ever felt in a couple years due to his history of injuries which is a good sign if you’re a fan of this team because a healthy Simmonds could turn out to be an impact player.
Simmonds has the experience and physical presence this team has supposedly lacked in recent seasons. Obviously the Wayne Simmonds the Toronto Maple Leafs are getting next season isn’t the same guy who was putting up 20-30 goal seasons and 50-60 point seasons as a Philadelphia Flyer, however he still has the skill set and the physicality to chip in at least 30 points a season in a bottom six role.
If Simmonds is healthy and feeling great like he said he is then having a guy like him on this team for $1.5M is more than fair in my opinion. With the departures of both Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson Simmonds will have a chance to show he can still play, and if he can his acquisition will turn out to be very underrated indeed.
1. Jimmy Vesey – 27 years old – LW
2019-20 stats – 64 GP 9 G – 11 A – 20 PTS – 49.5% CF%
Career stats – 304 GP – 59 G – 51 A – 110 PTS – 46.2% CF%
Jimmy Vesey is number one on this list for multiple reasons, and I am kind of excited to see what he can do. Vesey who is 27 years old is about to enter is fifth season in the NHL after he went undrafted and signed with the New York Rangers out of college back in 2016.
In his first three years in the league he had three straight seasons putting up at least 16 goals and at least 27 points, his so called “breakout year” was definitely during the 2018-19 season where he scored 17 goals and put up 35 points where he set career highs in assists, points, and tied his career high in goals. Next season he signed in Buffalo and we all know what kind of season they had this past year so it wasn’t a shock that Vesey declined in production and didn’t have the greatest of years.
Vesey will have to win a job on the Toronto Maple Leafs next season, but if he does, he will perhaps prove to be a very underrated pickup. Going back to when he was a UFA, people have always felt that Vesey had the talent to be successful in the NHL. If he can win a job, perhaps the relative anonymity of playing on such a star studded team will help him reach his potential. There are basically no expectations here, but he stands a chance to be an extremely effective bottom-of-the-lineup player for the Leafs.
Next. Examining Four Potential Line Combos For Next Season. dark
Im not asking or expecting Jimmy Vesey to become a 50 point player playing third and or fourth line minutes, however he’s still a skilled player who has size to him and I think this is going to turn out to be a very smart signing for the Leafs.