Toronto Maple Leafs Youth Movement Begins
Toronto Maple Leafs fans had been treated to a “snooze fest” for the first three-quarters of the 2015-16 NHL season. Understandable given its only year one of a rebuild.
As fans searched for reasons to get excited, the only thing left to hang their hats on was new bench boss Mike Babcock instilling a system with good structure, and a coach who makes his players accountable, and expects them to show up and play everyday.
Only problem… the Toronto Maple Leafs boast by far the lowest quality 23-man lineup – strictly on a talent basis. So, while fans are treated to glimpses of what the future may look like (if you can imagine this lineup a few years down the road), what good is structure without creativity? All it created was boring hockey that was borderline unwatchable.
It seems the trade deadline brought forth the beginning of the youth movement for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and thus, a quality reason for fans to get excited about something truly worthy (other than Morgan Rielly).
Several prospects are getting a look down the stretch, including Brendan Leipsic, Connor Carrick, Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, William Nylander, and Nikita Soshnikov, among a few others. Mike Babcock already stated that Hyman and Soshnikov are here to stay due to their outstanding work ethic. Nylander responded well against the Islanders after being challenged by Babcock.
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Zach Hyman and Nikita Soshnikov
A pair of high-energy players that play with intensity, Hyman was acquired from Florida after they failed to sign the college free agent, while Soshnikov was signed out of the KHL. Both players have a physical element to their game, although it seems Soshnikov is more prone to throwing his body around – playing with that extra edge.
Perhaps this is a lofty comparison for Nikita Soshnikov, but he shows flashes of fellow countrymen Artemi Panarin – strictly in their ability to be quick and shifty on their skates. It might be the Russian factor, but these guys bring a different element of creativity.
The intangibles that Zach Hyman and Nikita Soshnikov bring to the table are attributes that can be contagious in a dressing room, even motivating. Having those guys out there giving it their all shift after shift should raise the competitive hunger of players around them. These are the types of players you need to win Championships – it makes you wonder how much influence these guys had with the Marlies success in 2015-16.
William Nylander
Eyes On Isles
Nylander hasn’t performed to the level of Hyman or Soshnikov thus far, although an adjustment period should be expected. Soshnikov was playing professionally in Russia, while Hyman is coming off four years of college hockey – both are older, and more mature.
A natural center, William is best suited on the wing for now. As many NHLers have pointed out in the past, you have no problem keeping up with the speed and pace of the game at the beginning, but it takes time for the mental speed to catch-up. This is where the appreciation for William Nylander’s potential comes in.
As he begins to think and make decisions a half second faster, and make better reads on the play unfolding in front of him, Nylander should develop into an offensively dangerous player.
Whether or not Nylander can play center at the NHL level is still largely up in the air. The potential is there. He just needs to bulk up and become a little stronger, and tighten up his defensive game. William might be better suited to play the wing due to less responsibility – it may give him more opportunity to use his creativity.
Garrett Sparks
After becoming the first goalie in Leafs history to record a shutout in his NHL debut, it seems Toronto is committed to seeing what they have in Garrett Sparks – and possibly Antoine Bibeau at some point.
An improbable 7th rounder who emerged after a 2014-15 campaign split between the AHL and ECHL, Sparks continues to show promise behind one of league’s worst teams. He has appeared in 9 games, going 4-3-0 with a 2.51gaa and .910 save percentage.
The 6’2 200lbs goaltender sees the puck well (other than a few “softies” that were let in), and displays excellent positioning. He does a good job at taking away the net due to his size. He should continue to improve as he gains more confidence. He has the potential to be in the Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending mix in 2016-17 – perhaps battling Jonathan Bernier (or hopefully someone else)?
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Draft Day Scenarios
While there is no rush or need at this point to find another goaltender to throw in the mix, the possibility exists that Toronto may look to target a young netminder in the offseason to bring in to battle Sparks and Bibeau.
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Targets may include: Frederik Andersen (ANA), Malcolm Subban (BOS), Linus Ullmark (BUF), Joonas Korpisalo (CLB), Calvin Pickard (COL), Zach Fucale (MON), Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB), Michael Hutchinson (WPG)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have collected an abundance of draft picks over the next few years. Instead of trading down, as they did at the 2015 NHL Draft, we can expect that Toronto will use picks to trade up – as long as it’s a scenario/player worth moving up for.
Examples of Draft Day Scenarios:
– If Toronto Maple Leafs win 2nd or 3rd in the Draft Lottery: Why not move trade up to occupy both spots, and select both Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi – given their chemistry and success, not to mention the pair receiving Getzlaf/Perry comparable’s?
– If they fall out of the top three: It makes sense to package draft picks in order to get a second top 10 pick (perhaps to target a player such as Pierre-Luc Dubois).
– The extra picks can also be used in a package to acquire Tampa Bay’s Jonathan Drouin.
There are several hypothetical’s that exist in Leafs nation right now. Questions on which prospects will be full-time NHLers in 2016-17 – Will Mitch Marner be in the NHL, or headed back to junior? What will the goaltending situation look like? Auston Matthews, Steven Stamkos, the list of potential unknowns continues.
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So, while it’s easy to get excited about the future possibilities, it’s worth taking a step back to appreciate what’s in front of fans right now. The Toronto Maple Leafs youth movement has officially started, and with it comes a true reason for excitement for the first time in 2015-16. Adding a bit of that creativity that was missing from a structured system is a recipe for success – just ask the Chicago Blackhawks.