Michael Bunting celebrates a goal (Dave Reginek, Getty Images)
Michael Bunting's second career hat trick helped the Leafs flip the script and come back from a 3-1 deficit against the Detroit Red Wings.
Here are my 5 takeaways from a thriller in the Motor City.
1. The Star from Scarborough
The only thing more exciting as a Leafs fan than realizing that Michael Bunting has a cap hit of just $950, 000 this year is that he is signed for the same salary next season as well.
Bunting has been an absolute revelation for the Leafs, becoming one of GM Kyle Dubas' greatest ever success stories. He has replicated the impact that was lost following Zach Hyman's departure and then some. He remains top 10 in the NHL in penalty minutes drawn and PIM differential, showcasing his elite pest skills. If the Leafs can make it out of the first round this season, Bunting's arrival in free agency will be marked as a key turning point in the franchise.
During Bunting's last season in Arizona, he was a bit of a one-dimensional player. He proved that he had an NHL-shot and was good in front of the net. However, this year, his game has evolved into that of a true first-line player. He is notching a lot of assists and building chemistry with Auston Matthews. He is taking increased defensive responsibilities. His shooting percentage was at an entirely unsustainable 27% last year, has regressed to a 13.8%, showing that his impact isn't entirely based off of puck luck.
Though Trevor Zegras' antics and highlight-reel plays might mean that Bunting has to settle for being a Calder finalist, it would still be an incredible achievement for the Scarborian.
2. Another Mediocre Defensive Effort
We're starting to get to the point where we expect the Leafs will face either the Tampa Bay Lighting or the Florida Panthers in the first round; both teams are dynamic offensive teams in the top 10 in terms of goals for per game. Detroit, by contrast, is 24th in GF/GP, and yet the Red Wings completely dominated in the offensive zone against the Leafs in the first two periods.
That is a problem. Just like in the games against St. Louis and New York, Toronto's defensive effort was lacklustre last night. It looks increasingly likely that the Leafs are going to give up one of their main assets for a defenseman. I'd expect one of Rodion Amirov, Nick Robertson or Matthew Knies to not be a part of the organization when the deadline comes around.
Dylan Larkin wreaked havoc rushing to the net, Tyler Bertuzzi and Larkin benefited off of ill-advised passes from TJ Brodie and Timothy Liljegren respectively and Petr Mrazek was left out to dry a fair few times.
The Leafs are not the Colorado Avalanche. They are an excellent offensive team, but they are not fully capable of outscoring their opponent every night. If they can't fix those miscues on the blueline, another postseason disappointment looms.
3. Bottom-Six Becoming a Strength
I touched on this after the last Leafs game, but suddenly, the Leafs' depth is becoming a major weapon. The Athletic conducts a survey at the start of every season where Leafs fans with subscriptions to the Athletic can answer questions about the team. One of the questions on the survey this year was "What is your biggest concern about the team?" 62% of fans responded with forward depth, which is now way down the list.
William Nylander being pushed down to the third line has helped. So has Ilya Mikheyev developing some finishing ability. But the breakout of Pierre Engvall is something that needs to be spoken about more in the NHL. He's been a point-per-game player over the past two weeks and over the whole season, the Swede has an xGoals% of almost 56% on the whole season, despite starting a lot of shifts in the defensive zone.
If we get to the situation where Matthews and Marner are ice-cold in the playoffs again, the Leafs' other forwards are fully capable of picking up the slack.
4. Goaltending Becoming a Weakness
Just as the Leafs' depth forwards have gone from poor to great, the Leafs' goaltending tandem has fallen from unstoppable to below average lately. The defense is giving up more high-danger chances, to be fair, but the goalies aren't helping. Jack Campbell has an .864 SV% over his past 5 games and Mrazek has had just one win this year with a SV% of .900 or higher.
Mrazek's rebound control was an issue tonight and it definitely led to Detroit getting some opportunities.
The All-Star break is always a good time to refresh. Obviously, Campbell will be playing in the game, so he might not have much time to rest, but if Mrazek can find his very best form to give Campbell some time off for a late run, it would be very beneficial. If the Leafs can seal home-ice advantage with a successful run down the stretch, it will hopefully give them a boost, as we are expecting the fans to be back by the playoffs.
5. Dylan Larkin Having an Amazing Season
Larkin had an awful season last year. As somebody who picked him early in fantasy, it was frustrating. As a fan of watching fun hockey, it was also infuriating, as Larkin looked like he was ready to develop into a high-scoring, responsible center.
Luckily, I trusted my instincts this year and picked him up in fantasy again. That has been reaping major rewards for me.
In 40 games, the American has 22 goals and 19 assists for 41 points. He is rediscovering the form that made him a golden boy in Detroit's prospect system. If this season isn't a fluke, it would be a major boost for Steve Yzerman's rebuild in Motown, as he is good enough to be a franchise center.
NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT IS INTENDED
Comments
Post a Comment