The Toronto Maple Leafs may have just found their newest star amid the rubble of this disappointing season.
The trades of Scott Laughton, Bobby McMann, and Nic Roy, plus Auston Matthews’ season-ending injury, opened up several lineup spots for the team. Without bringing in any additional forwards at the trade deadline, the Leafs were likely going to call up AHL players to fill out the roster.
And the call-ups have done more than just round out the lineup.
In particular, Bo Groulx could have just become the newest Maple Leafs star. His impact on the club was automatic. The 26-year-old’s presence had an immediate effect on the ice. In four games thus far, he’s notched three goals.
But if you followed the Marlies, you wouldn’t be surprised. Groulx scored 27 goals and 50 points in 54 games in the AHL. That’s why he got the call-up. Boy, has he made the most of it.
Groulx has played with grit and a sense of urgency that none of the other Maple Leafs forwards have shown this season. In particular, Groulx has brought the energy that the bottom six lacked all season. He’s taken over the 3C role and has certainly run with it.
The Maple Leafs could be fortunate enough to have found an in-house solution to the team’s issues amid the ashes of a minor scorched-earth trade deadline.
It would be a travesty to see Groulx go back down to the AHL at this point. He’s earned an extended audition with the team this season. Unless the sheen wears off from now till the end of the season, Groulx should have the inside track on a job next season.
Groulx could be Maple Leafs savviest decision this season
When the Maple Leafs signed Groulx to a two-year, $1.63 million deal this past July 1, no one really thought much of it. It was one of those depth signings that teams make, hoping to fill out AHL rosters and potentially add some NHL depth.
For Groulx, a former second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks in the 2018 NHL Draft. It was another kick at the NHL can. The Ducks did not extend him a qualifying offer (QO) at the end of the 2023-24 season. As such, he became a UFA.
Groulx then signed a one-year deal with the New York Rangers, but failed to see any NHL action. The Rangers passed on him, allowing the former Duck to become a UFA once again.
That’s when Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs came calling. Thus far, the move looks like a stroke of genius.
Of course, Groulx deserves a ton of credit for working hard and earning another shot at the NHL. The Maple Leafs still deserve credit for giving Groulx the opportunity to show what he can do.
It now seems that the organization has found its newest star in a place few would have guessed.