Mike Babcock made it crystal clear: Zach Hyman will continue to flank Auston Matthews on the Maple Leafs' top line. End of story.
Upon acquiring veteran winger Patrick Marleau this summer, Toronto supporters salivated at the idea of putting the 500-goal man alongside Matthews and William Nylander to create, on paper, one of the most dangerous lines in the league.
But Babcock promptly squashed the pundits' dreams, ensuring he'll do it his way. "Here's what I'm going to do, I'm going to coach the team and you guys are going to write the articles," Babcock said Thursday.
Roger that.
Babcock's assertion may not please all Leafs fans, but changing anything up at this point may not be the right call. Here are three reasons why:
It makes the roster deeper
Let's assume Toronto's forward depth chart looks something like this come the regular season opener on Oct. 4:
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Zach Hyman | Auston Matthews | William Nylander |
| James van Riemsdyk | Tyler Bozak | Mitch Marner |
| Patrick Marleau | Nazem Kadri | Connor Brown |
| Matt Martin | Dominic Moore | Leo Komarov |
By keeping Hyman up top, it allows more balance across all four lines. Marleau can, hypothetically, line up beside Kadri and take on tougher matchups while offering more offensive punch than Hyman or Brown would in the bottom six.
There's no sense in stacking one line in favor of deploying three that can create offense. It was Babcock's strategy last season, and it will be again.
It ain't broke, so don't fix it
(Photo courtesy: USA Today Sports)
Sure, Hyman only had 28 points to Matthews' 69 and Nylander's 61, but there's no denying the effectiveness of the young trio.
Hyman certainly isn't the poster boy for offensive skill, but he's relentless on the forecheck, and excels at retrieving pucks. Defensemen know they're going to be pressured each and every time they go to fetch a puck in their own end, but it's up to the forechekecker to make the proper read and win possession back any way he can.
Who won a battle behind the net to set up Matthews' first NHL goal? Hyman. Who was in first to win the puck and set up the tying goal in Game 3 versus the Capitals? Hyman.
There are countless other examples of little things Hyman does in the offensive zone that makes Toronto's top line one of the most effective in the NHL. And besides, do you think Babcock would prefer Hyman to retrieve the puck for Matthews and Nylander, or Matt Martin and Dominic Moore?
There's untapped potential
For someone who frequents the front of the net as often as Hyman does, it's incredible to think he converted just 6.4 percent of his shots in 2016-17.
Shooting percentages that low rarely carry over for consecutive seasons, so it's reasonable to think Hyman can up his production if he continues to occupy high-danger areas of the ice.
Based on this chart from Micah Blake McCurdy of hockeyviz.com, you can see the majority of Hyman's five-on-five shots come from within the goalmouth and slot. Alongside two high-volume shooters in Matthews and Nylander, Hyman should see plenty of opportunities to bang in loose pucks and convert chances close to the goal, ultimately boosting his offensive value.
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