In order for the Toronto Maple Leafs to be most successful, they’re going to need balance and depth.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a ton of money invested into their top-four forwards, but it could be a $900K Jimmy Vesey that starts on the team’s top-line.
Averaging only 14:30 minutes of ice-time his four-year career, Vesey has still be able to score 16 or more goals three times. Of his 59 career goals, 51 have been even-strength, which is also a great sign for the Leafs.
When it comes to the Leafs line-up, their top five forwards are clearly: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander and Zach Hyman. There is no debate there, but I personally think that a more balanced line-up would help them.
As I just mentioned, Vesey isn’t a scrub. His contract would suggest that he’s a fourth-line player who can barely score, but it’s quite the contrary. He had a tough season with the Buffalo Sabres last year, but who didn’t? That team was awful, so he’s bound for a bounce-back season.
As a result, I think someone like Vesey would benefit tremendously from playing on the first-line.
The Perfect Toronto Maple Leafs Line Combination
I’ve said this before, but I think great players can turn a decent player into a good player and turn a good player into a great player. It’s the old Sidney Crosby routine in Pittsburgh with Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz.
Both players were good players, but had their greatest seasons with Crosby. Kunitz benefited so much from playing with Crosby that Team Canada picked him over Martin St. Louis originally for the 2014 Winter Olympics. I hope Kunitz gave Crosby 10 percent of the $19M he made with the Penguins, because he deserves it.
I’m not saying that Auston Matthews and Jimmy Vesey will be automatically paired up for Team USA at the next Olympics, but you never know.
Toronto Maple Leafs 2020-21 Line Combinations
First Line: Zach Hyman – Auston Matthews – Jimmy Vesey
Second Line: Nick Robertson – John Tavares – Mitch Marner
Third Line: Alex Kerfoot – Joe Thornton – William Nylander
Fourth Line: Ilya Mikheyev – Jason Spezza – Wayne Simmonds
Every line has at least one previous 30-goal scorer on it. I wonder how many NHL line-ups can say that?
Auston Matthews is so talented that he should be able to make Vesey a 25-goal scorer. He’s put up a career-high 17 goals before playing on the second-line of a mediocre team, but imagine what he could do on the top-line with Hyman and Matthews?
Matthews will draw so much interest from defenders, which will help Vesey get open, while Hyman can retrieve pucks to get him more scoring chances too. Obviously this pushes Marner or Nylander down the line-up to the third-line, but look at how fun that third line is? Kerfoot, Thornton and Nylander would create a ton of offense, while playing against inferior opponents as the third option.
I also love the idea of getting the youngster Nick Robertson into the line-up with a veteran John Tavares as his centre and an unbelievably skilled playmaker in Mitch Marner. The highlight of Robertson’s game is his shot, so having Marner pass him the puck every night could help get the rookie 20 goals next season and make him a Calder Trophy nominee.
Instead of cramming the distinguished forwards into the top two-lines, the team can balance them throughout the line-up. The core-four forwards are so talented that they’ll make whoever they play with better and elevate their game. If you desperately need a goal, throw out a line of Matthews-Tavares-Marner, but if you want a balanced line-up that makes everyone happy, this is the way to go.
Everything comes back to Vesey, though. If the 27-year-old can chip in a few goals and not be a defensive liability, he could help make the Leafs one of the deepest teams in the NHL.