'BIG BODY THAT CAN SKATE'
Head coach Travis Green says Josh Leivo has been better than expected
Josh Leivo could have taken the bait Monday. When the Mike Babcock conduct question was lobbed his way, the Vancouver Canucks’ right-winger could have taken issue with his former coach by swinging for the he-did-me-wrong fences. He didn’t.
The lethargic Toronto Maple Leafs were mired in a six-game losing streak when they fired their veteran bench boss Nov. 20. It brought into focus the manner in which Babcock attempted to motivate his players.
For Leivo, who was locked in a fourth-line role with the Leafs last season before being traded here two days after William Nylander beat the Dec. 1 deadline to end his holdout as a restricted free agent, the writing always seemed to be on the wall in Toronto.
So, how were those 69 games over more than three seasons like with Babcock at the helm?
“Up and down, I’d say,” Leivo said Monday. “I’ve had a tough coach almost every time I’ve been on a team. Hard on me. Trying to demand a lot and it just didn’t work out there and I’m fortunate that it has here.”
Not working out can carry many connotations. Some players will say tough coaches were aggressive, turned red and spat out blue streaks, but helped get their games to another level. It wasn’t right, but it was tolerated and almost a rite of passage to the NHL.
“I haven’t been in a situation where that has happened to me,” Leivo said. “Coaches I’ve had demanded a lot, but I’m a player who knows what to do and you’ve got to respond. I try to make the most of it.”
How demanding was Babcock?
“I’ve kind of moved on from that,” Leivo responded. “And that’s that.”
What Leivo has moved on to is a situation that he believes plays to his strengths.
He had just six points (4-2) in 27 games with the Leafs last season. He has four goals in his last four games with the Canucks, and 16 goals here in 79 games since the swap for minor-league winger Michael Carcone — which speaks of his potential as a 20-goal-perseason player.
Still, Canucks coach Travis Green didn’t really know what he was getting in Leivo. Has he been better than expected?
“Probably,” Green said.
“Whenever you trade for a player, you’re not quite sure what you’re getting. Especially in that situation where he hadn’t played a lot in the NHL yet. We hoped a fresh start and a better opportunity with a team not quite as good as a team he was on, that the player would take off.
“When he’s on his game, he’s a big body that can skate, be strong on the puck, win a battle and make a play.”
Being consistent in all those elements has always been a challenge for the 6-2, 192pound Leivo, a third-round draft pick by the Leafs in 2011. Six years in the Toronto organization saw him score as high as 23 goals one season at the AHL level, but never more than five with the Leafs.
In an alignment with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson, he’s forced to play at pace and cannot be a bystander.
“We’re working pretty hard and getting behind guys, creating a lot of offence and not staying in our zone too much,” Leivo said. “I felt it happen right away when I got here last year. I’m trying to make the most of it and it’s been great and I’ve been enjoying every minute.”
Being a roster mainstay and floppable winger on the top three lines should help Leivo extend his career. The 26-yearold
Innisfil, Ont., native is on an expiring one-year, one-way contract at a very palatable US$1.5 million.
Leivo has played for Dallas Eakins, Steve Scott and current Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe at the AHL level. He has played for Randy Carlyle, Babcock and Green at the NHL level.
It’s why he arrived in Vancouver with an open mind because he has seen and heard a lot. Green wasn’t a revelation. He was a realist.
“He lets the guys play a bit, but he also demands the respect and is hard on guys sometimes,” said Leivo. “And every guy needs that, sometimes a little kick in the butt, and he has been great that way.
“Every league I’ve played in, I’ve shown that I could produce and I wasn’t given the opportunity there (Toronto), but there was a lot going on. New faces and a lot of skill and draft picks coming in and a lot that went into it.”
There was even the Las Vegas expansion draft to deal with. Leivo could have been a Golden Knight, but Vegas claimed winger Brendan Leipsic — who later became a Canuck — off the Leafs instead.
“I didn’t know how it was going to go and it was definitely in my head at the time,” Leivo admitted.
n OVERTIME — Jordie Benn (illness) missed practice and could be a game-day decision. Brandon Sutter (groin) should return Tuesday after missing 11 games.
“I definitely knew it (injury) wasn’t something crazy and I’ve been through enough with my body to know what is what,” Sutter said. “There was nothing to worry about with what went on last year. It (his core) feels back to normal now.”