Where Does Nick Foligno Fit In the Toronto Maple Leafs Lineup?

Flashback to February 2020, the mood surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs franchise was not overwhelmingly positive.

The memories of the hot streak following the immediate dismissal of Mike Babcock began to feel more and more distant by the day, as it was supplanted by a stretch of extreme inconsistency, with Kyle Dubas using “Jekyll and Hyde” as the theme of the Toronto Maple Leafs in the days leading up to the trade deadline.

Arguably no two games vindicated Dubas’ sentiment more than when the Leafs were able to orchestrate their best game of the season, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 at home, and subsequently falling to the Carolina Hurricanes in the infamous “David Ayres” game two days later.

Executives around the league would agree the team dictates what the general manager elects to do at the trade deadline, and in that, it was clear that iteration of the Toronto Maple Leafs was not deserving of an aggressive Kyle Dubas.

Leafsnation was hoping for additions on the blueline. None came.

Months later, we learned of a meeting between Zach Bogosian and the Leafs – where the New York native would come to Toronto a year early – that was cancelled.

Management was not ready to commit to the team.

But not this season.

The playoffs are a lock. First place in the North division almost feels like a lock. This team is ready to contend, and they showed as such to Dubas. In the 10 games prior to the deadline, the Leafs managed a 9-0-1 record, ready for any additions brought in.

Riley Nash, David Rittich, and Ben Hutton were some of the depth insurance options acquired in the days leading up to (and on) April 12th, but the crown jewel of the bunch comes in the form of former Columbus Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno.

With Foligno expected to make his Toronto Maple Leafs debut sometime this week, let’s examine what the veteran of 950 regular season games, plus another 51 in the postseason, is bringing to the Leafs lineup and where he should slot in.

But First, Who Is Nick Foligno?

Defensive specialist. Those were the two words describing Nick Foligno soon after his trade to the Leafs was announced.

And it is undoubtedly fitting. Over the past three seasons, Foligno has only finished with 33, 35, and 31 points respectively. But not only is Foligno exceptional defensively at even-strength, he has been one of the more effective penalty-killing forwards in the league over the past three seasons, truly rounding out his game as a prominent defensive force.

Similarly, Foligno is a tremendous forechecker. Using Corey Sznajder’s privately tracked data, Foligno is averaging 5.5 recovered dump-ins per 60 at 5-on-5 this season. The Leafs’ most prolific forechecker, Zach Hyman, is averaging 5.4.

What drew Dubas and Co. to the Buffalo native is also his versatility. He can play anywhere from line one to three. He can fill in at center in a pinch – although, at his age, he likely fits more on the wing – and he can drive his own line.

This season in Columbus, Foligno’s most common linemates were Alex Texier and Boone Jenner. With Foligno’s 41% defensive zone faceoff percentage in contrast to 27% in the offensive zone, that line was still able to register a 53% expected goals rating (stats; Evolving-Hockey, NaturalStatTrick).

It was clear Foligno was the main cog of that threesome as Texier and Jenner, without Foligno, were only able to muster a 48% xG mark, a significant drop-off.

Off-ice, Foligno makes just as significant of an impact. Moving away from the captaincy in Ohio must have been hard for the Jackets legend, but his leadership hardware would be valuable to any franchise. Winning the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2016-17 now gives the Toronto Maple Leafs two former recipients with Wayne Simmonds receiving the honor in 2018-19.

With the clear fit on and off the ice, let’s take a look at how Sheldon Keefe’s lineup configuration may look like with Foligno in the fold.