Toronto Maple Leafs: Alex Galchenyuk Has Earned a Permanent Job

The Toronto Maple Leafs have just over one week to make trades to gear up for the Playoffs.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are competing for the President’s Trophy, and are a near lock to win their division.  Their General Manager has been quoted as saying that he will move the team’s top prospects if the deal comes along, and it’s generally considered that the Leafs will at least try to go big at the trade deadline.

The team’s needs are not great, however.  The Leafs, if they don’t have the most elite players in the NHL, are very close.  If they don’t have the deepest team, they are only microscopically whoever does. Their blue-line is bordering on great, and, again, if another team has a better top-four it’s only by the thinnest of margins.

Goaltending was a problem, but since Jack Campbell has been the best player in the NHL (when he’s played) it’s hardly a pressing issue.  Along with Campbell, Alex Galchenyuk has really simplified the Leafs needs by establishing himself as a player who deserves to be in the lineup.

Toronto Maple Leafs, Alex Galchenyuk, and the Trade Deadline

Since joining the team, Galchenyuk has three assists in seven games, but has made the Tavares/Nylander line look incredibly dangerous, posting incredible numbers: 52% Corsi-For, 56% shots-for, 60% scoring-chances for, and 62% expected goals. (naturalstattrick.com).

The Leafs have tried Jimmy Vesey, Zach Hyman, Joe Thornton, Wayne Simmonds and Alex Kerfoot with the pair of superstars, and Galchenyuk has not only looked the best in the role, but the stats he’s put up are also the best.

Given  this success, Alex Galchenyuk should be a mainstay on the Toronto Maple Leafs second line for the rest of the season, meaning help in the top six is more of a want than a need at this point.

The Leafs could definitely use another elite player at any position, a top six forward, an upgrade over Bogoian or Dermott, and depth at any position, just in case (including goalie).  They could use these things, but none of them are strictly necessary.

Had the Leafs not found Galchenyuk, they may have been forced to use assets and space on a player like Mikael Granlund. They could still get Granlund, but without Galchenyuk solidifying the top six, I think he’d be a necessity.

What I mean is that before, Hyman would be on the first line and the Leafs were almost forced to upgrade the second line, with Granlund being the most obvious option.  Now, they can either keep Hyman up top, or move him down to the third line while pursuing more of a luxury player for the first line.  Without Galchenyuk, you almost have no option but to use Hyman on the first line.

Make no mistake, Hyman is worth deploying on the first line, but a team with Hyman on the third line is just flat-out dangerous. And crazy-deep.

Galchenyuk has earned a job, and in doing so made the Leafs trade deadline much easier for them to navigate, and potentially, at least, a lot more fun.