Toronto Maple Leafs: Five Trending Storylines From the Season So Far
Players that Have Impressed So Far
Outside of the obvious players like Matthews, Marner and Nylander, the Leafs have had many players bring something to the lineup that are positive building blocks to move forward with.
Nikita Zaitsev
He could end up being the best free agent signing by management and it shows how important Mark Hunter‘s scouting and talent evaluation has been to the Leafs’ resurgence. Zaitsev has emerged as one of the Leafs best defensive defenceman, showing that the transition from the KHL to the NHL was not going to be a problem for him. This is what Mike Babcock had to say about Zaitsev when asked about him last month.
"“How do you ever know when you bring a guy from a different league on a bigger rink in a way different environment?” said Babcock. “I knew he was good offensively, I knew he was competitive. I didn’t know he was as good a pro as he is. He is way more competitive than I hoped.”"
It took some time for him and Rielly to get acclimated together but they have worked well as a pairing. He is eager to challenge himself against the best players in the league and plays close to 22 minutes per game. He will continue to get better with experience and eventually he will get that elusive first career NHL goal.
Nazem Kadri
It has been fascinating to watch Kadri’s game mature ever since Babcock took over because it looked like things were going off the rails for him when the team had to discipline him. Now he is trusted to matchup against the top lines in the league defensively while putting up 18 points in 25 games.
He still has work to do with faceoffs but continues to put up positive possession numbers. If there was a game that perfectly illustrates the evolution of Kadri’s game it has to be the one at home against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers where Kadri potted the OT winner and was a thorn in McDavid’s side all night. This is the type of game that Kadri was not expected to play coming out of his draft given that he was a highly skilled forward that was seen as a prolific scorer out of juniors not a reliable defensive centre.
He will be counted on by Babcock for years to come and will need to continue to grow with this group of young players and be relied upon to remain consistent in all areas despite not being counted on to be a consistent offensive threat.
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Nikita Soshnikov
The KHL has given the Leafs not one, but two bargain players that have been able to step in and provide an impact for Babcock. Zaitsev has done that on defence and Soshnikov has done that up front. His ability to play up and down in the lineup has made him a valuable commodity. He has shown enough to earn a spot over the veteran players stuch with the Toronto Marlies mainly because of his aggressive play and competitiveness without the puck.
It is why Babcock has had him play on Kadri’s line but also on the fourth line because no matter where he is , Soshnikov can make an impact. The offensive numbers will come when he generates more opportunities but there is a lot to like about his game and at 23 years old he will only continue to get better.