The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t had much to deal with when it comes to their overall play this season. While the goaltending and defense have been stellar, there are still some things that need to be addressed when it comes to their offense. Aside from the power play, their depth scoring has come back into the conversation as it once again has hit a dry spell.
There was a point where it looked like the bottom-six, especially the third line, was becoming more impactful. That offensive production has dried up after a stretch of play put them over the top where they were becoming more noticeable. However, with injuries and movement in the line-up, the bottom-six has been lifeless and it has become a problem where if the top names aren’t clicking, they don’t have anyone to rely on to get goals. It’s clearly something that needs to be addressed for the second half.
What We Saw Wasn’t a Permanent Fix
When the third line of Nicholas Robertson, Max Domi and Bobby McMann was formed it looked like things were looking up for the bottom-six. Since then, the opposite has happened for a few of those names. When I was looking at their impact when they were carrying the offense, I said that it was great to see, but it wasn’t a permanent fix as they could go cold again.
Low and behold, they’ve gone cold and we’re back at square one. Now, there are a number of injuries the team is dealing with and the call-ups haven’t really pulled their weight. When you need to rely on the regular players, they haven’t delivered consistently as you would hope for.
After going three straight games with a goal, Domi has once again hit another long cold streak, going 17 games without a goal. Since Dec. 27, Robertson has scored only twice in 13 games. Not nearly good enough production from two players that have looked to have put their early season struggles behind them. Even the fourth line hasn’t produced much aside from Steven Lorentz being the one player generating some production from time to time.
McMann, the third player on that third line, is the only one that has seen some consistency in his production. Since Jan. 2, he has four goals and three assists. Still some stretches without a point, but better results and impact than Domi and Robertson. With an injury to Matthew Knies, McMann has been on the top line and provides the same skillset that Knies would and has done a good job in doing so.
Related: Mulling the Maple Leafs: Ryan Reaves’ Role No Longer Exists
It’s clear that the bottom-six can’t keep going on like this where the top-six is once again carrying their weight and there’s a major discrepancy in production. You don’t need them to find the scoresheet every time, but you do need a little more out of them to alleviate that pressure from the top lines. Lucky enough, general manager Brad Treliving has an opportunity to do so.
Depth Scoring Needs to Be Addressed at Deadline
Whether you’re looking for some extra punch in the top-six or players that can strike quickly in the bottom part of the roster, offense should be at the forefront heading into the deadline. The Maple Leafs are linked to a number of names that could fill that void in the middle part of the roster, be it on the wing or up the middle of the ice.
Names like Scott Laughton, Mikael Granlund and Yanni Gourde have all been linked to the Maple Leafs at some point, all providing that strong north-south game, playing with some bite and finding the score sheet every now and then. If you want to go big name hunting, Rickard Rakell is a name that could be inserted into the top-six and bump a name like McMann down to still bolster that depth.
Should the Maple Leafs consider Ryan Donato as another option? He’s 22nd on TSN’s trade bait board, has a cap hit of $2 million and has been productive on a rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks team with 14 goals and 28 points while averaging 14 minutes per game. His underlying numbers may not be strong this season, but he’s able to find the middle of the ice and generate chances in that area very well. Per his NHL Edge page, Donato has 12 goals in the home plate area and in the front of the net combined.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Freidman on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast suggested that Luke Kunin could be a name that the Maple Leafs have interest in as a bottom-six player (56:00 mark). He has a cap hit of $2.75 million, can chip in offensively (11 goals this season) and has reached double-digit goals in five seasons over his career averaging under 15 minutes per game. Freidman has said that there has been interest from the Maple Leafs before and could very well be that bottom-six forward that could provide that versatility, energy and a jolt into the lineup.
Related: Maple Leafs Should Consider Trading for Brad Marchand
The Maple Leafs have an opportunity to address an area of need with a plethora of names on the trade market to inquire about. To get players that can be steady depth producers but can be moved up or down the lineup is ideal as their secondary scoring has been cold for long stretches this season.
Heading into the playoffs, those players are very important and can be big difference makers. As we’ve seen in the past, they’re the unsung heroes on long playoff runs.
Statistics from NHL EDGE.
