Toronto Maple Leafs: Will Josh Leivo Get Another Opportunity this Season?

With the Toronto Maple Leafs fighting for a playoff spot, Josh Leivo has been quietly preparing for his next opportunity, but is it too late?

Opportunity has become a buzzword of sorts when discussing Toronto Maple Leafs forward Josh Leivo. The 23-year-old has been in-and-out of the lineup this season but when given an opportunity he’s done well for himself.

Look at his last stint with the Leafs, for example. Nikita Soshnikov went down with an upper-body injury on February 9 and Leivo was inserted into the lineup for the next 10 games. During that span Leivo posted one goal and eight assists to go along with 22 shots and a plus-one rating.

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Fans were praising the fourth-year pro for his play and rumblings of a long-term spot in the lineup were slowly gaining traction. It wasn’t just the fans he impressed, though. He also impressed head coach Mike Babcock, who kept Leivo in the lineup once Soshnikov was healthy.

That experiment was short lived, however, as Babcock would remove Leivo from the lineup following a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks on February 28. Despite registering an assist on the team’s only goal against the Sharks, Babcock felt the need for a change.

The team wasn’t exactly playing well with Leivo in the lineup, posting a 3-4-3 record, but he was far from the problem. Whatever Leivo was — or wasn’t — doing, though, it was enough for Babcock to justify a change.

With Soshnikov back in the lineup — and Brian Boyle also joining the roster — the Leafs have posted a 4-2-2 record, which is better, but not significantly better when you consider the team had three overtime losses during Leivo’s stint.

So what was it that forced Leivo out of the lineup? Perhaps it was his inability to play the penalty kill, which is something Soshnikov does do, albeit not for long shifts. Or maybe it’s just as simple as Babcock prefers to have Soshnikov next to Boyle and Matt Martin instead of Leivo?

Considering how tight-lipped and vague Babcock can be with his answer when asked about these kind of lineup questions, your guess is as good as mine. I understand why Babcock is reluctant to divulge lineup information, but it makes you wonder if Leivo will get another opportunity this season, or has he become an emergency basis player who will only fill in if someone gets injured?

Toronto Maple Leafs /

Toronto Maple Leafs

If that’s the case, I do think Leivo will once again be ready to deliver when called upon and the main reason for that is because of the off-ice work he does with Eric Fehr. TSN’s Kristen Shilton not only went into detail about the growing relationship between Fehr and Leivo, but also about the kind of respect teammates have for Leivo. It’s an article I highly recommend reading and it has great tidbits of information on the kind of work the two complete on game-day and during the intermissions of games.

Learning about these kind of relationships in the locker room is exactly what makes a guy like Fehr valuable. Although he’s not playing, he’s helping off the ice by not only keeping Leivo sharp, but also keeping him composed in what is a difficult situation for him. In the big picture, Fehr’s guidance is just another incremental change were seeing in the Leafs’ culture, courtesy of the Shanaplan.

Next: Who Threatens the Leafs' Postseason Chances?

As long as Soshnikov can stay healthy, the chances of Leivo playing again this season seems slim, but it is comforting to know that if he is called upon he will be ready for the opportunity.

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