Two things have been made abundantly clear for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are sitting ever-so pretty at the moment with the best record in the NHL through the first seven weeks of the season.
Insiders on both sides of the Canadian media tug-o-war have kicked around the idea of the Leafs bolstering their roster before the deadline in the last few days. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has been discussing the possibility of a splash for some time, most recently suggesting that they could swing for the fences as the seas part in the North Division. And the latest came from TSN’s Darren Dreger, who identified Mikael Granlund as a potential candidate in an ongoing search for forward help, also mentioning that general manager Kyle Dubas has the hockey capital — prospects and picks — to make that sort of deal happen, even with salary cap concerns.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard Granlund’s name linked to Toronto. This is a player whose reputation precedes him as a strong defensive and versatile forward. Historically, he’s offered the sort of utility that falls in line with exactly what the Leafs have been aiming to accumulate as they continue to work toward building a strong defensive foundation behind their incredibly dynamic top six.
The numbers continue to bear out those facts this season. Granlund has managed to remain a positive influence on a bad Nashville Predators team, even if the goals have been hard to come by from an even-strength perspective. If there is a concern, it’s that Granlund has been buoyed, at least in recent games, by the fact he’s been elevated into a role that probably doesn’t befit his skillset. Performing on the top line with Filip Forsberg and Eeli Tolvanen is more of a showcase than an impact that would be considered easily transferable.
Even so, it’s possible, perhaps even highly likely, that Granlund is a superior option compared to what the Leafs have in house to anchor that third-line checking and energy unit that head coach Sheldon Keefe has been trying to implement from the start of the season. Alexander Kerfoot has been that default as the return asset in the Nazem Kadri trade, but the Leafs seem to prefer him as a winger. And while Pierre Engvall has impressed of late, this is an inexperienced player who could quickly find himself in over his head against stiffer competition and big games.
So case closed then? Is Granlund the guy?
The Leafs could certainly do worse than adding Granlund in their efforts to achieve optimization. But with Friedman floating the idea that the Leafs could aim higher, we should at least explore what that could entail.
What the Maple Leafs don’t need at trade deadline
The best way to do that might be to eliminate the things that they don’t need.
Let’s tackle the easy stuff first. Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander are the differentiators for this team, and unearthing an upgrade on any of them would be darn-near impossible. As skeptical as many were, Joe Thornton has established himself as a brilliant complement for Matthews and Marner, and will digest a significant portion of the top-six minutes as long as he’s healthy.
That leaves one position in the top six, for which the Leafs already have several candidates but perhaps not the one they see as the best fit. Zach Hyman is probably the superior option, but the Leafs seem to really want him to drive the third line. Kerfoot has been the preferred top-six forward lately, but his inclusion could potentially “take” from the third line in the long run, or at least potentially leave it exposed. And finally, Wayne Simmonds had some success with Tavares and Nylander before suffering an injury, and could potentially be the answer in the long term.
If the Leafs were to truly sell out on the prospects of this season, they could target an impact top six player, or a winger who could perform on either the right or left side with Tavares and Nylander, allowing Hyman, Kerfoot and Simmonds to create mismatches in the bottom six.
The rich man’s Jimmy Vesey, if you will.
Sounds fantastic, right? But what kind of winger would that be? Is there any more room on the power play, where that player could be most valuable? Is it more important than building the ideal third line?
As tempting as it might be to add, say, Filip Forsberg instead of Mikael Granlund, the Leafs seem focused on balance, and therefore the creation and maintenance of that third line.
The Leafs should be looking for an upgrade on Alexander Kerfoot down the middle. (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Who fits the mould?
It’s important, then, to identify exactly what they Leafs need from the position, and in some respects, what Kerfoot hasn’t been able to provide.
Most importantly out of a third line centre, the Leafs need someone who can limit the opposition and carve into the damage that elite players often do. In Kerfoot’s minutes without either Tavares or Nylander, or in other words, when he’s forced to drive a line, the Leafs have been mostly caved in at even strength this season, performing at 40.6 percent expected goals.
Fo his part, Granlund’s numbers do not fall off the cliff in time spent separated from other top players on the Predators. But while a lot of that could come down to coaching style and usage, the most important thing is that the Leafs have performed better when Kerfoot isn’t asked to shoulder major defensive responsibilities down the middle.
There are aspects, though, that neither Kerfoot nor Granlund provide, most notably physicality. Toronto didn’t need to knock around Connor McDavid to be the first team to shut him down in consecutive games this past week, but another injection of physicality wouldn’t hurt this team, provided that it doesn’t come at the expense of defensive performance.
Chandler Stephenson, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman are examples of tough, defensively reliable players who plugged third-line holes for Stanley Cup contenders last season, and who might better fit the mould of exactly what the Leafs should look for in a third-line centre replacement. Team toughness hasn’t been the priority that team defence has been for Keefe in Toronto, but killing two birds with one stone would be nice.
The last consideration should be penalty killing. As excited as the market became when it was revealed that Matthews would see time on the kill this season, the sight of the NHL’s leading goal scorer hobbling off the ice after blocking a shot should be enough to make fans think twice. In the best-case scenario, the Leafs’ third-line centre kills penalties, and kills them well, while being reliable in the faceoff dot when dealing with man power disadvantages.
With the exception of one more reliable veteran defender to slot in behind Travis Dermott and Zach Bogosian, the Leafs only have one clear need.
And with the league semifinals being a distinct possibility, if not probability, the Leafs have every reason to stomach the cost, and the quarantine, and not just chase that third-line difference maker, but to be highly selective with their approach.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results on Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
