The Toronto Maple Leafs need to try something a bit different this season; shaking up the tactics and make-up of the fourth line might be part of the answer.
Last season, the Toronto Maple Leafs fourth line was typically a combination of Wayne Simmonds, Jason Spezza and Pierre Engvall or Nick Ritchie – hardly the fastest group.
Looking ahead to the new season, the team could opt for a line that looks vastly different from last year’s group. With Nick Ritchie now in Arizona and Jason Spezza having retired, it already is going to be a different look regardless.
Instead of opting for a line that will play low-event hockey, the Toronto Maple Leafs could shake the applecart somewhat and push a high-tempo forechecking group instead; they have the personnel if they want to look into it.
Considering A New Look for the Toronto Maple Leafs Fourth Line
Perhaps key to creating a new look will be making a decision on Wayne Simmonds; his contract doesn’t exactly lend to a buyout, but he is wasted money when considering how tight to the salary cap the Leafs will be to start the year.
After all, the Toronto Maple Leafs added Nicolas Aube-Kubel to the roster this summer; another player that brings the same physical game while also being younger, quicker and better suited to a high-tempo forechecking style.
Building the fourth line with Aube-Kubel on the right wing, you’d have to think Adam Gaudette is the best bet at center, though a strong training camp might see the size of Curtis Douglas proving too much to resist, even if he doesn’t quite align to the tactical thinking.
Add the option of Alex Steeves or Nick Abrusezze playing on the left side and suddenly the line has a vastly different look. That’s not to suggest that Denis Malgin doesn’t surprise us all and lay claim to a roster spot.
Likewise with Joey Anderson, who had a decent campaign last year with the Toronto Marlies and will be hoping to get back to the NHL.
Having seen how challenging the Leafs’ so-called ‘pressure kill’ was to play against in the playoff series with Tampa Bay, the idea of recreating such a tactic with the bottom line holds huge appeal.
Despite their limited big-league experience, the Toronto Maple Leafs have the personnel to pull it off too.
Much like smaller guys that moved up to the Leafs roster in the past years, Adam Brooks and Trevor Moore specifically; this current cohort could very easily punish teams on a fourth line shift by harassing them off the puck.
To be able to throw a line over the boards that not only maintains a certain aggressive tempo, but also pushes over sides into giveaways could be a really useful tool for Sheldon Keefe to have in his arsenal.
It all comes down to his willingness to change the way the teams tactics work and move away from the idea that the fourth line just keeps things ticking over or as a spot for veteran players.