It's not the stars or the usual suspects leading the Toronto Maple Leafs out of the depths of the Eastern Conference standings.
Instead, as the team nears the end of a critical, potentially season-defining road trip, it's the unheralded players buried at the bottom of the roster who have stepped into the spotlight.
From an unexpected contributor on the blue line to a suddenly energized third line, these overlooked pieces are the ones most responsible for the Leafs winning three of their last four games and breathing new life into a season that very much looked to be slipping away.
Unexpected Contributors Leading Maple Leafs' Resurgence
After the steady, confident play of goaltender Joseph Woll, who has delivered terrific netminding since his debut, it's been obscure names helping the Maple Leafs dig their way out of their early-season funk.
During the Leafs' recent victory over the Florida Panthers, it was waiver-wire pickup defenseman Troy Stecher who played a prominent role in the 4-1 win. Woll made an early-game save, assisted by defenseman Jake McCabe, who swept a trickling puck away from the Leafs' goal line, to thwart any Florida momentum. Then, Stecher stepped up to give Toronto a boost.
Just over five minutes into the game, and a couple of minutes after Woll's save, Stecher's wrist shot from the blue line found the back of the net behind Panthers' goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. It marked the third time in three games that the Maple Leafs scored the game's first goal, reversing a negative trend of falling behind in the majority of their games through the first quarter of the season.
It was the fourth point in the last three games for the undersized, 31-year-old. The right-shot defenseman, claimed seven games ago from the Edmonton Oilers, has been an important addition for the Leafs.
Stecher's arrival came at a time when the Maple Leafs were down their top two right-handed defensemen. Chris Tanev, the team's defensive anchor, has been sidelined for all but eight games thus far. Brandon Carlo has missed eight games, and the Leafs recently revealed he will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a setback with his lower-body injury.
Stecher has more than filled the void, but in a different manner. The Maple Leafs miss the defensive acumen of Tanev and Carlo, but Stecher brings a puck-moving element to the back end that Toronto has sorely lacked.
He has averaged over eighteen minutes of ice time and registered a plus-six rating during his time in Toronto. His zest and spunk, for a team that often lacks both, have been a welcome addition.
Leafs' Reinvented Third Line Steps Up
Stecher has company in the bottom-of-the-roster contributors. Dakota Joshua, part of a reinvented third line, has returned from being a healthy scratch by Craig Berube with a purpose.
The hulking winger has scored in consecutive games. His beautiful finish off a Bobby McMann feed in the first period against the Panthers turned out to be the game-winning goal. The in-tight, upper-net goal was evidence of renewed confidence for Joshua. It came after he assisted on Stecher's opening goal.
During the Maple Leafs' previous game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Joshua flattened defenseman Matt Dumba with a thunderous open-ice hit. He also displayed quick hands to bury a five-hole goal as part of Toronto's dominant 7-2 win.
Joshua and McMann have formed an effective reconstructed Leafs' third line with center Nicolas Roy. The trio scored two goals against the Panthers after scoring all three of the Maple Leafs' goals in a dominant second period against Pittsburgh. Those performances have ensured the line will be given a run of games to continue their chemistry in hopes of solving the Leafs' search for a reliable, effective third line.
The Maple Leafs still have plenty of work ahead of them and several teams to climb over, if they hope to regain solid footing in the Eastern Conference race. The margin for error remains thin, and the path upward is far from guaranteed.
Yet if this unheralded group continues to deliver steady, impactful play, and the team's stars can rediscover their expected form, there's genuine reason to believe the season is not lost. For the first time in weeks, Toronto's outlook carries something it desperately needed: hope.