Toronto Maple Leafs: Ennis in best environment to get career back on track

The Toronto Maple Leafs signed Tyler Ennis to a one-year deal this summer and it gives him the best opportunity to get his career back on track.

There was a lot to like about the Toronto Maple Leafs’ decision to sign Tyler Ennis to a one-year contract back in July.

Ennis was once considered to be a top contributor for the Buffalo Sabres, who selected him in the first round (26th overall) of the 2008 draft.

The 28-year-old has three seasons with 20-or-more goals and had eight points in 12 playoff appearances for the team, before injuries arguably derailed his career, to an extent.

Last season with the Minnesota Wild, Ennis had his best campaign since 2014-15, a season in which the Edmonton, Alberta native scored 20 goals and had 46 total points.

In 73 games, Ennis has 22 points (eight goals and 14 assists) playing just one game shy of his totals over the previous two years.

While he did not contribute much on offence, Ennis did provide some solid underlying defensive plays.

He had 51 hits and blocked 33 shots in his 73 regular season games with the Wild and also had 33 takeaways, while averaging 11:58 on the ice.

Now with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ennis will be looking to take that forward and work towards playing a full 82-games, something he has not done since the 2010-11 season.

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The former alternate captain of the Sabres is tentatively penned in as the Leafs’ fourth line left winger, with Connor Brown or Kasperi Kapanen likely to play on the opposite wing and Swedish free agent signing Par Lindholm in the centre.

The former first-round draft pick is a low-cost, high-reward signing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, with the potential to contribute much more on offence if he is able to stay healthy and given the right linemates.

Ennis will not likely be a 20-goal winger again but, at the age of 28, he still has many more years of hockey left in him.

The Leafs will likely play their fourth line far less this upcoming season, sheltering Ennis enough to help keep him healthy across the season.

But if Ennis can show enough of a scoring touch, he may find his role increased and could be given favourable positional starts.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have made some smart signings this summer and bringing in Ennis is one that could give the team one of the best fourth lines in the league, if they are able to solve their fourth-best centre dilemma early on.

What do you think Leafs fans? Will Ennis begin to move back towards what he is capable of, or will he produce in the same way he did with the Wild and Sabres in recent seasons? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!