Subj : Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Lehton;n, Korshkov, Simmonds
To   : All
From : The Hockey Writers - Main
Date : Fri Oct 30 2020 04:40 am


In this edition of Toronto Maple Leafs News & Rumors, I';ll ask whether the
makeup of the Maple Leafs team that will play during the 2020-21 season is
exactly the kind of team that general manager Kyle Dubas has been trying to
build for several years. Second, I';ll look at another young player the Maple
Leafs have loaned to a European club.Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Why
Dubas Signed Experience in Offseason

Third, I';ll look at how two other players are recent signees with the Maple
Leafs are doing with KHL clubs this season. Finally, I';ll speculate about the
possibility that Wayne Simmonds could become a fan favorite with the Maple
Leafs faithful.Item One: Is This Finally the Team Dubas Wanted?

Given what';s happened during this offseason, Maple Leafs fans have to look at
the team general manager Dubas has constructed in Toronto and now wonder if
this - for the first time - is the kind of team he had envisioned could be
built.

As I have watched Dubas over the seasons I've covered the Maple Leafs, I've
become a fan. I know that other long-time Maple Leafs fans don't share that
assessment. Indeed, many seem to be waiting and hoping Dubas will be fired. In
fact, I heard from one reader that he believed someone had taken over running
the team from Dubas and the young number-cruncher would soon be gone. The
organization was just trying to save face for him by keeping him around.

Tracing that thought backward, I'm guessing the reader believes Maple Leafs
president Brendan Shanahan has taken over the operations of the club and is
behind the trading for Joe Thornton, Zach Bogosian, Wayne Simmonds, and others
who bring grit to the team. Perhaps that's accurate, and I admit I can't know
for certain.Zach Bogosian, formerly of the Tampa Bay Lightning (Photo by Scott
Audette /NHLI via Getty Images)

However, I've bought into Dubas' philosophy about how a team should play. I've
also come to appreciate how he's able (probably with help of a team of other
geeks - a term of endearment for me) to wiggle out of what seem to be almost
impossible salary-cap traps and continue to prosper. I get it that the team
hasn't won a round of postseason play in a long time, but the team is now
competitive and winning season after season.

My guess is that Dubas assessed long ago the NHL situation and came to believe
that, given the salary cap, (a) elite offensive players were expensive and
would take the bulk of the salaries and (b) grit was important but could be
signed for much less money.Related: Riveters Acquire Babstock From Toronto

I think he was surprised last season's defense was such a mess, but I also
recall that this season's signee T.J. Brodie was his choice last season instead
of Tyson Barrie, until Nazem Kadri nixed the trade with the Calgary Flames.
And, who knew about Cody Ceci.

I also think his ability to sign Jason Spezza for the NHL league minimum
expanded his thinking about how to flesh out the roster at the bargain end of
the salary cap. I think this offseason';s moves are a direct result of Spezza's
success last season.

What I don't know - and probably will never figure out - is how much having
Mike Babcock as the coach mediated how Dubas built the team after the 2018-19
season. Fans can ascertain from his actions that Babcock thought signing Spezza
was a mistake. Would he have felt the same about Wayne Simmonds, who's a
different kettle of fish altogether? Hard to say.

But given Dubas' history as a general manager, before he came to the Maple
Leafs, I don't believe he wants a team made up only of players like Nic Petan
and Denis Malgin, although he likes them. In this team coming up, there's more
than speed and undersized skill.Toronto Maple Leafs Nic Petan and then Buffalo
Sabres Zach Bogosian (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov)

From what I've read, his history as a general manager with both the Toronto
Marlies and the Soo Greyhounds is that he built teams that played tough,
gritty, hard-to-play-against hockey. That's the kind of team he has heading
into the 2020-21 season.

One thing I';m finding recently is that readers are quite enthused about the
team Dubas has built. I admit, too, that this is the most excited I';ve been
about a team in the three years I';ve been writing about the Maple Leafs. The
team seems to have some drive, some skill, some grit, some young players who
I'll enjoy watching, and a wonderful combination of potential line match ups -
both with forwards and on defense. It will make it fun to speculate the kind of
lineup head coach Sheldon Keefe will ice on any particular night.

It';s going to be a fun season to be a Maple Leafs fan, I believe. And, even if
this team doesn't win it all, I give Dubas credit for the level of excitement
he';s built around this particular team. I hope it can work. I';m sure I';ll
hear from others who don';t share my belief. In some ways, that';s what makes
writing about the Maple Leafs fun.Item Two: The Maple Leafs Loan Mac Hollowell
to Finland

For lack of other opportunities, 22-year-old defenseman Mac Hollowell will
begin his 2020-21 season in Finland';s�second-best hockey league with TUTO
Hockey of Finland';s Mestis. Last season, Hollowell played with both the AHL';s
Toronto Marlies and the ECHL's Newfoundland Growlers. He tallied 12 points in
34 games with the Marlies and 13 points in 19 games with the Growlers.�

The @MapleLeafs have loaned defenceman Mac Hollowell to TUTO (Mestis).
#LeafsForever- Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) October 28, 2020

There's a chance Hollowell might spend the entire season in Finland rather than
return to the Marlies. As a personal note, why not let him stay in Finland? In
my own career, I had the great opportunity to work all over the world. In my
mind, there's no better way to travel than to be part of a group over a period
of time in another country - especially if you're 22 years of age.Item Three:
How are Maple Leafs Players With the KHL Doing?

The Maple Leafs currently have two players on loan to teams in the KHL. One is
defenseman Mikko Lehtonen, who's starring with Jokerit, and the other is Egor
Korshkov, who's playing with Lokomotiv. In fact, both recent Maple Leafs
signees are playing some of their best career hockey.Related: Top 15 NHL Power
Forwards

Lehtonen is ranked first in the KHL in points for a defenseman and has scored
eight goals and eight assists in 14 games. The 24-year-old Korshkov, who's a
6-foot-4 and 214-pound left-winger, has been scoring as well. He has six goals
and seven assists in 19 games and looks like a potential addition to the Maple
Leafs as a power forward one day.Mikko Lehtonen (Oleg Bkhambri (Voltmetro) / CC
BY-SA - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Both could be impact players with the team. Lehtonen is likely counted on for
this season, but Korshkov is probably in the Maple Leafs plans down the road. I
can't imagine that he'll break into the team's roster this season.What's Next
for the Maple Leafs?

As I noted earlier in this post, one difference I see between the 2020-21 team
and teams of the past is the sense of positive buzz around this team I haven';t
seen before. Maybe it';s as simple as, during the offseason, the team wasn';t
caught in two difficult and negative negotiations - two years ago with the
young William Nylander and last year with Mitch Marner. That might have put a
damper on generating enthusiasm. It's different this offseason.Toronto Maple
Leafs William Nylander (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette)

One player I believe will generate excitement with Maple Leafs fans is
Simmonds. He seems to have the things fans have been waiting for - maybe for
many seasons. He';s a grinder, he has grit, and he plays with tenacity. Imagine
what it would be like if he got back some of his scoring touch.Related: Maple
Leafs News & Rumors: Dermott, Salary Cap & Hockey Obsessives

I think fans have been waiting for a truly intimidating guy - something Kadri
was in his heart but not in his body. Simmonds might be that player. I could
even see him developing a bit of a cult following in Toronto. If that somehow
happened, it would be truly exciting. One could only hope.

The post Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Lehtonen, Korshkov, Simmonds & More
appeared first on The Hockey Writers.

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