Ex-Maple Leaf Leivo gets chance to play bigger role
Ex-Leaf may log minutes on the first line and will finally wear his favoured No. 17
There’s getting to play a game in the NHL. Then there’s getting the chance to play a bigger role on your team than you might have had before.
And then there’s the chance to do all of that in the jersey number you’ve always liked best.
For Josh Leivo, the newest Canuck, the latter two appear set to become a reality.
He was playing on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ fourth line and with the return of William Nylander, his spot as a regular was likely done. Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas had promised Leivo in the summer that if there wasn’t a regular spot for him in the Big Smoke, he’d look to move him to a team that could give him more playing time.
Enter the Vancouver Canucks and what looks like a chance to play with Bo Horvat right off the hop.
“It’s exciting,” Leivo acknowledged to reporters after Tuesday’s morning skate.
“Might be playing with some good players.”
Leivo has played 84 NHL games since 2014-15, when he first hopped on the AHL/NHL shuttle with the Leafs. He’s scored 14 goals in that time, suggesting he’s got potential if he were to play higher up in the lineup.
He was also among the Leafs’ best forwards in shot-attempts percentage. For a player logging limited minutes, that suggests a smart game sense.
Playing on the fourth line “you’re more about forecheck, sticking with the basics ,” he said.
In a bigger role, he’ll be looking to create chances. But he’s not putting the cart before the horse, emphasizing he’s arrived in Vancouver with no expectations about his role, even if he’s hopeful of a chance to show he’s more than a depth winger.
“Wherever Greener (coach Travis Green) puts me, I’m ready to go,” he said.
Green said he wants to see how Leivo does on one of the top three lines. “I watched him on the ice, looks like he moves around pretty well and has a pretty good shot,” he said. “Think he understands the game. He’s been well-coached in Toronto.”
The trade didn’t surprise him in the end, Le iv os aid. He was thinking about it all summer. On Mon- day morning he was flipped to Van- couver for minor-league r Michael Carcone and then it was all about flying west to join his new team.
Leivo had time to pack a suitcase before heading to the airport. Of course, his flight west proved not to be straightforward, as they had to change planes because of mechanical trouble before departure on Monday afternoon. But he woke up in his new city Tuesday morning and got a chance to meet his new teammates. He also got a nice surprise: being able to wear No. 17, like he has for most of his non-NHL career.
“I was excited,” he said of finding out that the number was available.
Since the Leafs had No .17 out of circulation — they retired it officially two years ago in honour of Wendel Clark — Leivo never wore his favoured number while with the organization. He wore 14 with the minor-league Marlies, 32 with the big club.
“It’s always been that number,” he said. It’s his father’s old number and the Leivo kids have worn No. 17 whenever possible, he said. “My sisters were ecstatic.”
His dad has always rushed out to buy a Leivo 17 jersey.
“He can’t wait for a Canucks jersey,” Leivo said.
And as for Vancouver, he’s only ever been here for Leafs road trips. But he’s excited to explore.
“A lot of hiking I hear,” he said. “That’s good.”