Toronto Maple Leafs internal and trade options for improving depth scoring
As of Sunday morning, nine forwards have played 200 minutes this season without scoring a goal. The Toronto Maple Leafs account for three of those nine (33%) on the list: Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, and David Kampf.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are second in the Atlantic Division with an 11-6-2 record through 19 games.
Although that seems good, it could be better if the Toronto Maple Leafs were getting more secondary scoring. As of Sunday morning, nine NHL forwards have played 200 minutes this season without scoring a goal.
The Leafs account for three of those nine (33%) on the list: Max Domi, Pontus Holmberg, and David Kampf. The Leafs also have Ryan Reaves, with zero goals through 125 minutes, and Nick Robertson, with one goal through 195 minutes. (Stats from hockey-reference.com).
With Pacioretty and Matthews injured, the Leafs offense has been exposed, and they recently went five games with only a single 5v5 goal.
Fixing the Leafs bottom six should be a priority for general manager Brad Treliving. One way to address the problem could be through a trade with the Seattle Kraken. Stefen Rosner, who covers the New York Islanders for The Hockey News, reported that the Maple Leafs were one of 10 teams that were in attendance for the Kraken and New York Islanders game over the weekend.
It's still early in the season, but the Kraken are sixth in the Pacific Division with a 9-9-1 record and are in a fight for a wild card spot. The Kraken have two pending unrestricted free agents that could help the Leafs bottom six. However, a trade should only happen if the Leafs don't see a valuable option from within the organization.
There are options on the Toronto Marlies in the AHL, but are they ready? The Leafs called up Fraser Minten yesterday, but he's not exactly known as a scorer.
Bottom six options for the Leafs
From Seattle Kraken
Brandon Tanev, brother of Leafs defenseman Chris Tanev, has five goals and three assists for eight points through 19 games. He is a pending UFA in July and could be a short-term answer for the Leafs bottom six troubles.
Tanev has a ten-team no-trade list, but I find it hard to believe he would turn down the chance to play on the same team as his brother. He does carry a $3.5 million salary cap hit, and that is very expensive for what he brings. Treliving would likely try to make a trade with the Kraken happen that sees money coming in and money going out, but the other Tanev has a career high of only 16 goals and the Leafs will likely want to shoot higher. (Salary cap info from puckpedia.com)
Yanni Gourde is another possible option for the Leafs.
He could replace Kampf or Holmberg by bringing much more offense to the third line. However, he only has one goal this season through 19 games, so he likely isn't much of an upgrade, though he does have a history of being a decent NHL scorer (his career high is 25 goals and 64 points).
Gourde has registered at least 30 points every season for the past seven seasons and is a playoff performer. Fans of the Leafs have seen how he performed in the playoffs from when he played with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Gourde carries a $5.16 million cap hit, so the Leafs might need the Kraken to eat some of the salary to make adding him worth the cost.
In this case, the fact that he only has one goal might work in the Leafs favor and make him available at a discount.
A deal for either of these two could help the Leafs, but I would rather see Treliving go for Brandon Tanev over Yanni Gourde. However, the trade market isn't the Leafs only option - the Leafs brought up Minten yesterday and could also try several other options.
Bottom six options for the Leafs
From Toronto Marlies
One player from the Marlies roster who the Leafs could call up is Nikita Grebyonkin.
He has registered four goals and six assists for ten points in 13 games. Grebyonkin is good on the puck and looked good during the Leafs training camp and pre-season. Many thought he earned a roster spot after his performance in September, but ultimately, the Leafs chose Robertson, Max Pacioretty, and Steven Lorentz.
Pacioretty was playing like a star and helping a ton (before his injury) but the other guys haven't provided any offense. Grebyonkin should be looked at as a cheaper alternative to fix the struggling bottom six. (Stats from eliteprospects.com)
Fraser Minten is another Leafs prospect that Treliving could turn to if the trade market doesn't offer what is needed. They've called him up, and while Kampf is injured he'll get a chance to show if the Leafs need to make a trade or not.
Minten scored his first pro career goal last week and now has two goals and two assists for four points in five games. Minten, like Grebyonkin, looked good during training camp and pre-season, but it was clear then, that Minten needed some time in the AHL first. He's fit in nicely with the Marlies and is producing for them. If things continue to go well for him in the AHL, he could be in the NHL sooner than expected.
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Alex Steeves is currently with the Leafs as an emergency loan, but if he does well, he could earn a permanent spot on the Leafs roster. Steeves has nine goals and three assists for 12 points in 10 games with the Marlies this season. His early production for the Marlies made him the easy choice for an emergency call-up. He needs to find a way to transfer that momentum to the NHL level.