Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Borgesi, Blankenburg, Andrae & a Smaller Defence?

A theme has developed around the Toronto Maple Leafs this past week: small defencemen. That isn’t the first phrase that comes to mind when looking at the kind of blue line general manager John Chayka appears to be building in Toronto. The new Maple Leafs management group has talked about speed, puck movement and making better decisions with the puck, and those priorities have led them toward some smaller blueliners. Now Vinny Borgesi has added another wrinkle to the conversation.

At 5-foot-8, Borgesi was arguably Toronto’s best overall player through two games at the prospects challenge over the weekend, making it awfully difficult to dismiss a player because of his size. There is, after all, Montreal Canadiens blueliner Lane Hutson, providing a pretty good reminder that small defencemen can play well in the NHL.

Borgesi isn’t Hutson, and it would be silly to suggest otherwise, but his performance raises a reasonable question: When a small defenceman has enough skill, skating and hockey sense, how much should size actually matter? And perhaps more importantly, how many small defencemen can a team have before it becomes a problem?

Vinny Borgesi Is Making the Size Question Interesting

Borgesi entered the prospects challenge relatively unknown, despite signing a two-year entry-level contract with the organization in March. The 22-year-old had just one assist in seven games with the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies last season and didn’t play during their Calder Cup championship run. This week, however, he looked like a player who wants a larger role when the Marlies get back to work.

His lateral skating and constant movement stood out, as did his willingness to keep plays alive at the offensive blue line. He looked comfortable making quick reads, moving the puck to his wingers and creating opportunities from the point.

He also showed some offensive confidence, including a clever goal against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday when he flew down the wing and finished the rush. Steven Ellis singled Borgesi out among Maple Leafs prospects who looked good at practice, while Nick Richard called him Toronto’s clear standout following the overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.

The obvious question remains: How far can a 5-foot-8 defenceman go? It is a legitimate concern, particularly during the playoffs, where the game becomes a daily battle along the boards and in front of the net. But Hutson has already demonstrated that exceptional skating, hockey sense and puck skills can change the conversation. Borgesi simply needs to become good enough that his size isn’t the first thing people notice. For now, he has certainly given the Maple Leafs another reason to keep watching.

Could the Maple Leafs Be Getting Too Small on Defence?

One reader raised a fair question after Toronto brought Nick Blankenburg in on a professional tryout: Are the Maple Leafs getting too small on defence? Toronto has added Emil Andrae, brought in Darren Raddysh and now added Blankenburg to the mix. Andrae is listed at 5-foot-9, Blankenburg is also 5-foot-9, while Raddysh provides considerably more size. There is a noticeable emphasis, however, on mobility and puck movement in what Chayka is constructing.

That makes sense after what happened last season. Toronto struggled to move the puck out of its own zone, and the new management group clearly wants to address that problem. A defenceman who can skate himself out of trouble, make the first pass and turn defence into offence makes life easier for everyone else. The smaller defenders don’t necessarily have to win every physical battle if they can prevent those battles from happening in the first place. Speed isn’t simply about skating faster; sometimes it’s about thinking faster.

But the reader’s larger concern is the one worth keeping in mind: Can this kind of defence compete against talented Atlantic Division opponents, like the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres and Canadiens, when the games get heavy? That’s the part nobody can answer yet. The concern wouldn’t be one 5-foot-9 defenceman. It would be having too many undersized defenders who are asked to do the same job, then discovering in April that opponents can turn the game into a cycle-and-corner battle.

That’s why training camp should be particularly interesting. Chayka isn’t necessarily assembling a collection of small defencemen. He’s trying to build a faster, more mobile blue line that can move the puck and defend with intelligence. If smaller players can do that, their height matters less. If they can’t handle the physical demands of playoff hockey, the size issue suddenly becomes much bigger.

The Bottom Line for the Maple Leafs?

The Borgesi story actually makes the broader question more complicated. It would be easy to say the Maple Leafs need bigger defencemen, but then a 5-foot-8 prospect goes out and looks like one of the best players on the ice. Hockey doesn’t always cooperate with neat little theories about height and weight.

The real test for Toronto won’t be whether its defencemen are big enough on a roster sheet. It will be whether they are good enough when the opposition decides to make the game uncomfortable. Chayka appears willing to bet that skating, puck movement, and hockey intelligence can offset some size. That’s an intriguing bet. The question is whether it will still look like a good one when April arrives.