Mark Giordano evades Jack Hughes (Claus Andersen, Getty Images)
The Leafs rode an impressive penalty kill to victory against a young New Jersey Devils squad.
Here are my 5 takeaways after the Leafs prevailed on Next Generation Night.
1. Giordano and Blackwell Impress on Debut
I really liked the games from the newest Leafs. After making a deal with the Seattle Kraken a few days ago, Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell made their Leafs debuts on Wednesday.
First, let's talk about the trade. I have an article in the works that will grade all the major trade deadline deals and this will be one of them, so I won't go too in-depth. In general, I really like it.
Giordano is not the Norris Trophy winner that he was 4 years ago, but he remains a capable defensive force. If anything, it's his offense that has diminished and with a forward corps as deep and talented as Toronto's, scoring should not be a concern. Giordano can fill in on any of the Leafs' defensive pairs and he makes me so much more confident about the teams' chances in the postseason. As for Blackwell, I've been a fan of his for ages. Last year, there was this strange phenomenon where anytime I watched a Rangers game, Blackwell scored. Though that was a coincidence, the advanced stats back up my love of the player. He works hard and is defensively sounds. The Leafs' fourth line had their best game in weeks with Blackwell on Jason Spezza's wing.
During the game, the pair showed about what I expect of them. Giordano made some smart plays against the rush, looking very TJ Brodie-esque with his stick. He kept forecheckers from getting to the front of the net, which has been a longtime concern for Sheldon Keefe. He also brings good veteran vibes and seems to be a valuable part of the locker room after less than a week.
Blackwell was equally tenacious. Though I loved Wayne Simmonds as a physical presence in his prime, he has clearly lost a step. Blackwell is all that I want out of Wayne Simmonds. Once Ondrej Kase comes back and replaces Simmonds on the bottom line, the Leafs will have one of the most effective bottom-sixes in the league.
2. Ilya Mikheyev Proves his Value
Until this year, I'd seen maybe one game where Ilya Mikheyev was the best player on the ice in any given game. This year though, "Mickey" has taken a huge step in terms of his consistency and his talent. He was probably the Leafs' first star tonight, combining relentless speed on the penalty kill with some improved skill to score a highlight-reel goal while shorthanded.
Mikheyev is a key part of one of the best third lines in the NHL. Alongside David Kampf and Pierre Engvall, Mikheyev pens his opponents in the offensive zone and rarely gives up high danger chances. They control play better than the majority of NHL lines.
I'm intrigued to see how Mikheyev will be valued in the offseason. Toronto should do all they can to keep him, but we all know that the Russian would like more of a role. He should be able to pursue a fairly expensive deal with a rebuilding team or secure a long-term deal with the Leafs, if he wishes.
Engvall himself was also great on the penalty kill, absolutely undressing Dougie Hamilton in a prime example of giraffe-on-giraffe violence to score the game winner. The speed that he and Mikheyev possess makes Toronto's penalty kill absolutely deadly. Dean Chynoweth's unit now leads the league in shorthanded goals.
The Leafs' PK is no longer a penalty kill; it's a pressure kill.
3. Petr Mrazek Settles Nicely
We didn't need a shutout from Petr Mrazek this game. With Jack Campbell returning soon and Erik Kallgren proving that he is capable enough of sealing the backup role, it seems like the waiver-eligible Mrazek could be the third goalie moving forward. However, it was still reassuring that the Czech held New Jersey to just two goals on 22 shots.
I am still unaware of what Mrazek's role is for this team and how long we can expect him to stay in Toronto. Nevertheless, I'm glad that Mrazek has shown enough capability to at least not be a liability in the crease. Dubas' failure to acquire a goalie at the deadline means that we may still have to rely on Mrazek to grab vital points in the fight to hold off a much-improved Boston Bruins squad.
4. Grading the Dermott Trade
As I hinted in my last edition of the 5 Takeaways, Travis Dermott was traded from Toronto for a mid-round draft pick. Though I never said so at the time, it makes perfect sense that Vancouver was the destination.
For Toronto, I think it was necessary. They had to shed some cap and Dermott wasn't likely to be a regular part of the team, making him an obvious candidate. Though defensive depth is always valuable, a third-round pick will go a long way to finding the next Travis Dermott. I'd give Toronto a nice B on the trade.
I really like the trade for Vancouver. Sure, it helps that they somehow managed to pawn off Travis Hamonic to Ottawa for a third-round pick as well. They essentially swapped two different Travis on the blueline. Dermott is younger and more offensively inclined than Hamonic, plus Dermott seems like a great guy and Hamonic has been labelled as a bit of an oddball before. I'll give new GM Patrik Allvin an A- for this trade.
5. Nico Daws Looks to Be New Jersey's Answer in Net
As I've mentioned in both power rankings and takeaways articles on Sincere Sports, I expect that New Jersey would be a really good team if they got good goaltending. Well, they seem to have solved the goaltending issue. Munich-born Nico Daws has been showing enough promise to prove that he may be the priority for more starts next season. Though his numbers aren't eye-popping, it's important to note that goalies rarely enter the NHL at age 21, which Daws has done this season.
MacKenzie Blackwood doesn't seem like a solution to the crease, so the presence of Daws is very valuable. He was pretty solid against the Leafs, playing with composure and good horizontal movement. I'm a big fan of Daws and I think if he can solve some of New Jersey's defensive woes, the Devils could push for the playoffs next season under Lindy Ruff.
ALL STATS COURTESY OF MONEYPUCK AND NATURAL STAT TRICK
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