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Toronto Maple Leafs: Tyler Ennis taking advantage of opportunity

By David Morassutti

ST PAUL, MN - APRIL 2: Tyler Ennis #63 of the Minnesota Wild controls the puck against the Edmonton Oilers during the game on April 2, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Oilers 3-0. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
ST PAUL, MN - APRIL 2: Tyler Ennis #63 of the Minnesota Wild controls the puck against the Edmonton Oilers during the game on April 2, 2018 at Xcel Energy Center in St Paul, Minnesota. The Wild defeated the Oilers 3-0. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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After signing a one-year minimum contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tyler Ennis is looking to show that there’s a lot left in the tank.

When the Toronto Maple Leafs signed Tyler Ennis this past summer it came as a bit of a surprise but was an intriguing one based on the winger’s past success.

At 28-years-old, Ennis not only came into camp in great shape but impressed the Leafs front office and coaching staff to the point where he is currently the placeholder for William Nylander.

In his first preseason game, Ennis scored two goals and made his presence felt playing with Auston Matthews and Patrick Marleau which is an encouraging sign considering how tough the past couple of seasons have been for him.

This is a player who has struggled to stay healthy only playing more than 70 games in four of his nine seasons in the league. After being a big part of the Buffalo Sabres top six averaging over 18 minutes a game, Ennis was traded to the Minnesota Wild but couldn’t get a footing playing 11:58 a night, scoring 22 points in 73 games and was eventually bought out in the summer.

Coming over to the Leafs, Ennis knows the odds were stacked against him given the depth the team has but he made sure to get his time with Toronto off on the right foot.

"“It was clear that he knew that he had a lot at stake moving forward,” said Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas to Sportsnet. “We just thought we could provide him with a great opportunity to kind of get back on track and get rolling again. Seeing him, how hard he worked in the summer, kind of gave validation to what he said he was going to do.”"

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As Chris Johnston of Sportsnet writes, Ennis has been taking advantage of the Leafs sports science and medical staff which is one of the tops in the league.

When it comes to making the team, Ennis just needs to show that he can remain healthy because based on first impressions, he still has the offensive touch.

While Nylander should return to his spot with Matthews, Ennis is showing that he deserves an opportunity to play on a more regular basis, he just needs to show it as the preseason continues.

Next. John Tavares makes presence felt in debut. dark

What do you think about Ennis so far despite a short sample size? Where would you play him in the lineup? Let us know in the comments below. 

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