Leafs’ scoring depth yet to kick in
Too many Toronto forwards struggling
TORONTO A whole lot of ones, and for some Toronto Maple Leafs, not a single one.
Few would argue the Leafs are a club lacking depth at the forward position, as strength across four lines rightly was tabbed as one of Toronto’s qualities on the eve of the 2018-19 regular season.
Though only a dozen games have elapsed and the Leafs have put together a tidy record of 8-4-0, it’s about time some of the players providing depth start providing actual goals.
The Leafs won’t have Auston Matthews back for at least four weeks as the club’s best player recovers from a left shoulder injury. But even if Matthews was healthy, coach Mike Babcock would still want more offence up and down his lineup.
One goal each has been put forth by Patrick Marleau, Connor Brown, Par Lindholm, Josh Leivo and Tyler Ennis.
Zach Hyman, Frederik Gauthier and Andreas Johnsson have not yet had cause to celebrate.
“It’s a tall task for us,” Brown said ahead of Thursday’s visit by the Dallas Stars. “We have to (start) stepping up and contributing offensively.
“It can’t be the same guys carrying the load all the time.”
It’s not as though the majority of these men are being asked by Babcock and his staff to do something they haven’t done before.
Brown scored 20 goals as a rookie two years ago and had 14 last season, while Marleau counted 27 goals in his first season with the Leafs. Hyman’s high-water mark in the NHL is 15 goals.
Johnsson hasn’t been able to translate a wonderful season with the Toronto Marlies into anything tangible with the Leafs, while Gauthier isn’t being paid to put the puck in the net.
Lindholm gets a pass until he becomes more accustomed to the game in North America.
But what of Leivo and Ennis? Count Hyman among the struggling scorers who isn’t consumed with concern. In Hyman’s case, there is no question with the effort.
“When you play in the league, and I’ve played almost 200 games now (192), you understand this is the NHL. It’s a hard league to play in, it’s a hard league to score in, but goals come in bunches,” Hyman said.
Of those Leafs who haven’t been filling the net, 39-year-old Marleau leads the group with 23 shots on goal over 12 games.
“This game always keeps you on your toes, that’s for sure,” said Marleau. “When you go through something like this, you have to learn from it, and sometimes you have to learn that lesson more than once.”