From pain to playoff race: Adding Boyle a big win for Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs supporters channeled their inner Jim Mora on Monday afternoon: "Playoffs?!"
It's happening, folks. Less than a year after selling anyone and everything - while finishing dead last - Brendan Shanahan, Lou Lamoriello and Co. are buying ahead of the trade deadline with one goal in mind: the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Toronto traded a second-round pick and Byron Froese to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Brian Boyle on Monday, and the pending unrestricted free agent gives the Maple Leafs depth at arguably the most crucial position on the ice - up the middle.
While it can be argued that a second-round pick for a rental player is too steep a price to pay, Toronto dealt from a position of strength; it had three second-rounders in the upcoming draft - its own, one from the San Jose Sharks, and another from the Ottawa Senators.
Hitting fast forward on the rebuild
Mike Babcock promised pain. He was right. But even he probably expected more of it.
While it's fair to say no one expected Toronto to be where it is in the standings today, that's what happens when you add three uber-talented rookies to the lineup in Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. You win. And now that they've got a taste, the Maple Leafs want more. Because - and this is the irony - Toronto's brass knows its young group is going to have to learn how to lose in the playoffs before it learns how to win.
Enter Boyle.
The huge center from Hingham, Mass., joins Matthews, Nazem Kadri, and Tyler Bozak up the middle, bumping - thankfully - Ben Smith and Frederik Gauthier down the depth chart.
By possession this season, Boyle's got the best numbers on the team at the center position:
| Center | Corsi For % |
|---|---|
| Boyle | 53.54% |
| Matthews | 52.17% |
| Bozak | 52.14% |
| Kadri | 51.71% |
| Gauthier | 46.62% |
| Smith | 41.90% |
(Statistics courtesy: Corsica Hockey)
The Maple Leafs had a need. They deserve props for going out and filling it before March 1.
About faceoffs
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
There's more.
Boyle can win faceoffs - something all Maple Leafs centers except Bozak struggle to do.
Boyle ranks 31st among NHL centers who have taken at least 300 faceoffs, winning 53 percent. In the defensive zone, he's won 51.4 percent of his draws, which ranks 37th in the league. In other words, see you later, Ben Smith.
About experience
There's more, still.
Not a single NHLer has suited up for more playoff games than Boyle since 2011. That will serve the youthful Maple Leafs well, and Babcock, too, as Toronto aims to qualify for the postseason for - somehow - only the second time since the 2004-05 lockout (and we all know how that first appearance ended).
About flexibility
(Photo courtesy: USA TODAY Sports)
Plans change. The Maple Leafs are the perfect example.
Toronto wasn't supposed to be in the playoff conversation in year two with Babcock behind the bench. But sometimes the ping-pong balls land in your favor, and things change.
The Maple Leafs are adapting on the fly, and deserve credit for recognizing that playoff experience - whenever it comes - is crucial for Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Morgan Rielly, Connor Brown, Zach Hyman, and even Nazem Kadri - one of only five players left from that horrific night in Boston.
Adding Boyle is a big win for Toronto, which used the draft picks it accumulated over the past year to perfection.
Now comes the hard part - the playoff push, and being left standing when the dust settles. And that's the best part. Finally, the last six weeks of the regular season matter. Enjoy, Maple Leafs fans. You've earned it.