Toronto Maple Leafs: Denis Malgin Could Be This Season’s Surprise
By Luke Ryan
Denis Malgin will ultimately feel hard done by if he doesn’t make the Toronto Maple Leafs opening night roster.
Coming into training camp, very few Toronto Maple Leafs fans would likely have seen this being the case; but Malgin has really pushed his case for a spot in the line-up.
Joining up with the team after spending last year back in his native Switzerland scoring just shy of a point per game, Malgin is the second-highest scorer in the Leafs’ pre-season so far (per Dobber Sports).
In fact only Nick Robertson, who himself might’ve locked down a spot on the roster, has scored more (7 points) than Malgin’s 6 pre-season points.
Toronto Maple Leafs Need To Give Malgin a Chance
It’s not just his point tally that has impressed though, with Denis Malgin’s overall work rate standing out against some of the other Toronto Maple Leafs roster candidates.
When you contrast how visible Malgin has been to summer signing Adam Gaudette; it’s an easy decision which one should be retained on the roster.
Of course, that may be a little unfair on Gaudette given his fitness struggles, but such is the way these things go.
Denis Malgin really had the odds stacked against him from day one with the Toronto Maple Leafs; even more so in light of Mason Marchment breaking out with Florida.
However, he might very well turn fan’s opinions around if he can continue to build on his play off the puck and contribute offensively to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Certainly, he looks like a viable option in a pinch on the second line, but perhaps not the guy you’d want there on a regular basis.
Increasingly though, Malgin is a guy that the Toronto Maple Leafs could look at on the third or fourth line as somebody that will show plenty of persistence in pursuit of the puck, somewhat similar to the role Ilya Mikheyev fulfilled.
Looking at the potential names he’d be lining up with; David Kampf, Pierre Engvall, Calle Jarnkrok, Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Zach Aston-Reese (hopefully) – it’s a strong fit as a group that thrives on putting their opposition under pressure, without necessarily having the offensive zone.
Perhaps the biggest downside to Denis Malgin is that he’s not seen any shorthanded time this pre-season; which is something you always prefer to see from bottom-six players.
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However, if that’s the biggest slight against him and given he will have to pass through waivers to be reassigned, surely Denis Malgin is going to make the cut (somewhat surprisingly) for the Toronto Maple Leafs this season.