3 Toronto Maple Leafs Who Have Not Earned Playoff Ice Time

The Toronto Maple Leafs have used 41 players this season and four goalies who have each played a minimum of five games.

The four goalies with five games each that the Toronto Maple Leafs have used is the most among contending teams, and the 45 total players is tops in the NHL.

The Leafs have spent much of the season as the most injured team in the NHL, and they are clearly the deepest team in hockey, even after losing Pierre Engvall and Rasmus Sandin.

There just are not any other teams that could lose Nick Robertson for the season and not even notice it, or who could have a quality player like Pontus Holmberg and not even use him.

There just isn’t another team with 11 NHL quality defenseman.

And with such depth, comes hard questions.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to have to sit players in the playoffs that would be automatic starters on other teams.

Tough decisions loom.  The Leafs are going to have to sit good players.  Here are three who have not earned anyplayoff ice time.

Toronto Maple Leafs Who Have Not Earned Playoff Ice Time: # 3 Sam Lafferty

Sam Lafferty was acquired in a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks at the deadline.

Fortunately for the Leafs, that trade included the stellar Jake McCabe, because Sam Lafferty is not working out.  He’s a fast, versatile player, but the Leafs have better options because he has not performed since being acquired.

In 19 games, he has just two goals and six assists.  He is about as crucial to the success of the Toronto Maple Leafs as Michael Rappaport is to Talib Kweli’s on the classic album Quality.

Lafferty wasn’t brought into score, so you could forgive the lack of scoring if he did anything else, but he doesn’t.

The Leafs possess the puck just 41% of the time when he’s on the ice.  Of the 41 skaters the Leafs have used this year, Lafferty has the 39th worst stats and has played by far the most games of all their bad players.

43% of the shots.

42% of the scoring chances.

42% expected goals.  (all stat naturalstattrick.com). 

There is no way the Leafs should play Lafferty when they have Wayne Simmonds on the roster, let alone Pontus Holmberg, Matthew Knies, Wayne Simmonds, or Bobby McMann.

Zach Aston-Reese

Matthew Knies signed with the Leafs yesterday, and his offensive upside is going to make it hard for Aston-Reese to keep his hold as a regular.  If Knies is anything but horrible, he likely gets a chance to play in the playoffs.  His upside can give the Leafs scoring depth they just haven’t had in the past.  No guarantees that Knies is good,  but Reese looses his minutes anyways and doesn’t score very much.

If Matthew Knies can’t help the Leafs this spring, there is also Bobby McMann.

McMann has scored at a torrid pace in the AHL this year (21 goals in his last 21 games before being injured two weeks ago).  While he is currently injured, if he returns soon he is an option that provides scoring that ZAR just can’t match.

If you don’t like either of these options, Nick Abruzzese has performed great when given a chance and could help the Leafs.  He has a 59% Expected Goals in his two games.  Small sample, but still…

There is also Wayne Simmonds, who provides an element the Leafs value and is no worse than Aston-Reese.

Finally, Pontus Holmberg is a great option, and, unlike Aston-Reese, he also plays centre. Other than Kampf, who plays some pretty tough minutes, Aston-Reese is the only Leafs regular who loses his minutes.

He is under 50% in real goals and Xgoals, and the Leafs do not have a positive possession rating when he is on the ice.

Aston-Reese is a good depth player, but the Leafs have better options in Knies, McMann (if healthy), Holmberg, Simmonds and Abruzzese.