Toronto Maple Leafs: Time to Deploy Zach Hyman Realistically

The Toronto Maple Leafs have one of the best, deepest rosters in the NHL.

While everyone was busy worrying about the Toronto Maple Leafs salary cap situation, they put on a clinic, somehow adding an elite top-pairing defensemen to play on the right side of their top pairing, signing every KHL free-agent of note, and adding a couple of ex-NHL stars (one of whom is an outright legend).

All in all, their team is ridiculous and they could dress a 5th line better than most team’s third lines.

The other day I wrote about how the Leafs could use this to their advantage, icing a super-line all season long without having to worry about what that does to their depth. I proposed moving Nylander to the left wing (where he wants to play) and deploying Marner on the right with Auston Matthews at centre.

On the second line I suggested using Kerfoot’s elite defense in the top-six, while pairing him with Tavares and rookie Nick Robertson.  Today I will discuss the third line.

Toronto Maple Leafs Third Line

I like the idea of Joe Thornton, even if I’m not sure what, if anything, he can contribute as the NHL’s oldest forward. Still, he’s Joe Thornton, so I will assume he can play until he shows that he can’t.

I would have Thornton centre my third line, and I’d give him Zach Hyman and Ilya Mikhyev as his wingers.  To be honest, all three of these players could probably handle second line duties, and if you were going for a more balanced approach (which is normal) than either of the wingers could be a fine top line player.

But the Leafs aren’t going for fine, they are going for best in the league. In my opinion, this set-up gives them the best chance to do that.  Hyman, Thornton and Mikheyev would be a great third line that I think can dominate possession and chip in the odd goal.  They should definitely have no trouble out-performing their competition, and that’s all you really need out of your bottom six forwards.

The great thing is that that if it doesn’t work, there are like a dozen other options.  As for the fourth line, I really can’t foresee Alex Barabanov failing to make the team, even with competition from the likes of Simmonds, Vesey etc.  Therefore, with apologies to Pierre Engvall who I think is getting a bad deal here, my fourth line would be Simmonds-Spezza-Barabanov.

Luckily, the Leafs will want to keep everyone fresh and constantly make rotations, so Engvall and Vesey should still get lots of minutes. Personally, I don’t think Simmonds should be on this team, but given his star status, and the Leafs stated need for his type of player, I think he’s a lock, at least to start.

I hope he proves me wrong, but the history of severely declined physical players making a late-career comeback is not one that gives me confidence.  Anyways, the Leafs bottom six on opening night should be Hyman-Thornton-Mikheyev, followed by Simmonds-Spezza-Barabanov.