D Philippe Myers
With all the excitement in Leafsland surrounding the major signings of defensive stalwart Chris Tanev and offensive defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson during the onset of free agency in 2024, lost in the mix was the under-the-radar free agent addition of Philippe Myers. Signed to a one-year, $775,000 deal, Philippe Myers was originally suppose to serve as much-needed defensive depth for the Maple Leafs organization heading into the 2024-25 NHL season.
However, some unforeseen injuries to key members of the Leafs blueline suddenly thrusted the 28-year-old defenseman into more action than many would have expected over the course of the year. In total, Myers has appeared in 30 games for the Leafs this season entering Tuesday, posting one goal and three assists for four points with 39 shots on goal.
But of course, offense isn’t his calling card as his solid defense was what Toronto brought him in for. Averaging over 16 minutes of ice time whenever he played, Myers has handed out 68 bruising hits and registered 35 blocked shots in the process.
In addition, he has maintained a 50% CF% and 50% scoring chances rate in 5-on-5 situations throughout the season with the Leafs. That decent showing helped earn Myers a two-year contract extension earlier this year in January, making him a relevant piece in the organization going forward. (All stats from hockey-reference.com and naturalstattrick.com, and all salaries from Puckpedia.com)
But despite all the solid effort, when the actual playoff time comes, Toronto should dress their six strongest and most productive defenseman as their top six. Assuming McCabe will be back from his injury soon, that would be him, Tanev, Carlo, Ekman-Larsson, Morgan Rielly and Simon Benoit.
Both Rielly and Ekman-Larsson would help lead the offensive attack from the back end while the other four will effectively complement them with rock-solid, all-out gritty defense. Barring any injuries, Myers should find himself mainly as a reserve for the duration of the playoffs as a result.