Leafs get short end of stick
Ennis and Marner rise up on otherwise disappointing night
Tyler Ennis is 69 inches tall.
He weighs less than Mitch Marner, the elfin Leaf who had himself quite a game on Saturday night.
He took a $3-million haircut to sign with Toronto.
His brainpan has at least twice been severely scrambled by concussion. He’s had surgery for a double hernia. But over the boards he went Saturday night, his 29th birthday, on the Maple Leafs’ top line. With mom and dad in from Edmonton to behold, and the youthfully nervy Senators in town. He is the un-William Nylander. Which is the funk of the thing, frankly. Oh sure, there was a (small) measure of pleasure from that 5-3 loss to Ottawa, most notably the aforementioned Marner, who may have stuffed a firstperiod penalty shot right into the pads of Craig Anderson but compensated a period later with a solo effort, shaking off a defender, carving out a pseudo penalty shot, deking around, under and through.
But, sheesh, pretty gosh darn underwhelming, mostly, against the Thomas Chabot-led (who?) scrubeenie Senators. And, more glaringly, the vacancy, the vacancy, the blank spot where Nylander should be. Definitely being felt, two games into the campaign, Toronto nowhere near as jazzy good as advertised against a pair of dim-hope outfits like the Senators and the Canadiens.
Another way of looking at the ongoing drama of the young holdout Nylander still skating circles back in Sweden: A window closes — not yet firmly shut of course as the negotiation wrangle continues — and a door opens.
Because who could have imagined, back in July when Ennis was bought out by the Wild on what remained of his five-year contract originally signed with Buffalo, that a wee forward who seemed destined for an NHL fadeout —
three 20-goal seasons verging on ancient history — would start the 2018-19 season as the right-side winger of Auston Matthews.
Next-door cubicle in the Leaf locker room, too.
“It’s been a pretty cool turnaround, for sure,” Ennis beams.
Holding it down for now, in the lineup. And, yes, maybe like those stand-ins who occupy seats at the Oscars while celebrities go to the bathroom. But still. Uh-huh. But still … Yup, Marner and Matthews are holding up the Leaf tent. But the Leafs are missing Nylander. Their forward combinations are all askew, disjointed. The craftiness and creativity which defined Nylander is rather lacking alongside Matthews, despite three goals across 120 minutes for the Leaf stud. The domino effect means puck-digging by Zach Hyman, his yeoman work in the corners, has devolved to John Tavares’ line.
Social media — which really should be given short shrift — has been quick to bewail Ennis’ presence as unfit, not in the same league, alongside Matthews. And truthfully, it’s somewhat head-scratching where coach Mike Babcock pulled that line out of. But hey, there’s no quibbling with genius, right?
The bench boss has described Ennis as “shifty.” We’re almost 100 per cent certain that’s what he said: S-H-I-F-T-Y.
“I had to learn how to be shifty,” Ennis was saying earlier Saturday. “Growing up being a smaller guy, just to make room for myself. So I think shifty is definitely an accurate way to describe how I skate. I enjoy playing that way, it’s one of my strengths. It’s how I had to survive, to create space for myself on the ice.’’
The objective is to do the same now, for himself and for Matthews, with Patrick Marleau doing his Patrick Marleau thing on the other wing. Yet is this really what best serves the Leafs?
“Make sure I’m hounding, getting puck back and making plays. When I’ve got the puck, make sure we’re all on the same page. We’re all offensive guys, we all make quick plays, creating chances.”
No knock on Ennis, a gritty fellow who’s making the best of a second chance after a droopy season in Minnesota, following eight years with the Sabres. We love the valiant in sports. Comeback stories are always worth cheering. And of course Matthews can elevate any linemate’s play. It’s hard to look bad alongside the marquee Leaf. But it’s quite possible to look out of place.
On Saturday, Ennis clicked with Matthews for the first time in the regular season, drawing an assist on the goal that fleetingly gave Toronto a 2-1 lead – amidst a flurry of goals, four in under four minutes.
“He’s done great,” Marner said of Ennis post-game. “He moves the puck very well. When he gets it in his hands he doesn’t stand still. He gets it going quick side to side. He’s very elegant out there. He can make a lot of plays.”
But how much can reasonably be expected of the slim, slight, however game and however plucky neo-Leaf? Can he possibly fit beyond stopgap? Which, honest, isn’t a sideways reference to Ennis’ diminutive dimensions. But that’s a fact, too.
“I heard it my whole life,” he counters. “I was cut from teams. I was never big. I was always small. I felt like I was being judged for my size and not my game. I think that just put a chip on my shoulder. That kind of drove me to prove people wrong.
“Now it is more of a speed and skill game. But everyone can skate now. It’s not a big and slow game anymore.”
Ennis, who skated in Toronto with Nylander over the summer, has no illusions of taking the Swedish-Canadian’s place. Except that is the assignment, isn’t it, interim? Fill the hole until the rookie GM can sort out this stalemate or otherwise fix it, however joltingly that might turn out.
Shifty Ennis might be, but he’s not exactly the yin to Matthews’ yang, as Nylander has been the past couple of years. What he does bring to the table is a sturdy work ethic, which counts for a great deal with the coach, and which was not much in evidence in the home opener on Wednesday, right through the opening frame Saturday night actually. Until the Leafs woke, probably after getting an intermission earful.
“It’s a simple philosophy but a philosophy that works,” said Ennis. “Work hard and good things will happen, especially when you’re surrounded by great player. Put hard work together with skill and it’s a pretty lethal combination.”
He wasn’t talking about himself right there, of course. Hockey players don’t do that. But Ennis looks around himself and he’s awed, to be honest. Like, how did this happen?
“People go through peaks and valleys in their career. Right now I’m at a point where I need to earn my way. I had some injury trouble that cost me. It’s taken me a while but my body feels great now. So this is a great opportunity.
“It was exciting to come to a team with so much talent, such a great organization. Just from day one, it’s been awesome to be part of this culture, such a good family atmosphere, a team that’s driven and so focused on winning. I just want to work hard and play the best I can every day.”
And, oh yeah, not think about what’s up with Nylander.
“Honestly, no.’’