Toronto Maple Leafs: What Is Ron Hainsey’s Role Next Season?
By Carson Trask
Ron Hainsey could see a different role for the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2018-19 season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are loaded at forward, but concerns still remain about the defense. However, their defense isn’t as bad as many people believe. The pieces are there to have a solid unit if head coach Mike Babcock deploys them properly.
Puck-moving defensemen are more valuable than ever in today’s NHL, especially when you have the skilled forwards the Leafs have. They need players on the back end that can get them the puck.
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Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner are both elite in that respect. Travis Dermott looks to fit that mold, which is why he needs to play higher in the lineup next season. Nikita Zaitsev is a bounce-back candidate after an injury-plagued season, during which he appeared to lose all his confidence. Connor Carrick and Justin Holl appear to be in competition for the third paring right defenceman spot, and Martin Marincin could get a good look at training camp as a platoon player for the Leafs.
Which leaves Ron Hainsey. Last season, he was glued to the top pair with Rielly, which needs to change. Babcock is a stubborn as they come and loves players he terms as “pros”, so demoting Hainsey at the start of the season seems like a pipe dream. He will get an opportunity to step right back into the same role he had last season alongside Rielly until Babcock realizes he shouldn’t be.
Coming off a Stanley Cup win with the Pittsburgh Penguins the season before, Hainsey was brought in to add leadership to the Leafs blueline. $3 million per year for a defenseman in his mid 30’s was a questionable move, but you could see why old school Lou Lamoriello wanted to bring him in. Hainsey’s usage last season is the part that made zero sense.
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Workload
Last season, he averaged almost 22 minutes a game. The decision to play Hainsey that much was Babcock’s most questionable. These weren’t a high volume of easy minutes that he was playing. Hainsey’s minutes included playing on the top pairing with Rielly, going against the other teams top players, as well being a work horse on the penalty kill. There were times that Hainsey would be out there for the entire penalty kill because Babcock didn’t trust anyone else.
The way the Atlantic Division went last season, the Leafs, Bruins and Lightning were all locked into playoff spots by January. That was the time to start easing Hainsey’s workload. By the time the playoffs rolled around, he was a shell of himself and struggled immensely against the Bruins. In Babcock’s short time behind the Leafs bench, he has shown a propensity to play favorites.
Once a player is among his favorites, he tends to stay there. Hainsey had a CorsiFor percentage of 47 percent last season and still racked up the minutes. Other defensemen on the roster are going to have outplay him drastically to get him pushed down the lineup. It really shouldn’t be that hard to do.
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What Should His Role Be
At the point in his career, Hainsey should be in a platoon role on the Maple Leafs third pairing. His inability to move the puck is a huge detriment to this Leafs team. Having Hainsey sitting in the press box at different points throughout the season would be good for the team and for him. 45-50 games should be the range of games he plays in next season.
Hainsey will have an easier time staying fresh during the season. Plus, come playoff time, he won’t be the rotting corpse fans had to witness in April. As much as the name Martin Marincin gives Leafs fans nightmares, he is actually a serviceable player.
If he can build off his strong Calder Cup run, he can help the Leafs next season. Marincin can spell Hainsey on the third paring when he needs it, as well as being a solid penalty killer with his long reach. Hainsey’s value will come in a mentorship role next season.
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Conclusion
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a variety of puck moving defenceman, with Rielly, Gardiner, Dermott, Zaitsev and even Carrick, who should all play ahead of Hainsey. He has had a long and solid career. But at his age, the Leafs can’t go forward with him playing more than 20 minutes a night.
The Leafs shouldn’t buy him out or send him to minors like some have suggested because of his solid leadership and locker room presence. Hainsey is still valuable to a relatively young team. It won’t do Dermott any good to be playing 10 minutes a night. He is ready for a bigger role, which makes Hainsey the odd man out.
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When it comes down to it, he is on the last lap of his career and Babcock needs to treat him as such. If his minutes are sheltered and limited he can still make a positive impact for the Leafs. It is time for Babcock to stop being stubborn with his lineup decisions and put the best possible team on the ice every night.
Stats courtesy of hockeyreference.com