Bourne’s Notebook: Five Leafs-centric thoughts at the season’s halfway point
How much should the Leafs value Andreas Johnsson?
One of the more memorable moments from my time with the Toronto Marlies was after a loss on the road, which isn’t exactly a scenario that conjures up many positive memories for most hockey players. For those who haven’t been in those situations, teams almost always eat together post-game, and in a much less glamorous way than you’d imagine.
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After a loss those routine meals become a curiously solemn experience. Everyone sits around in funeral-style silence, because don’t you dare think each loss isn’t the worst occurrence of all time (is the understood tone, as implied by most coaching staffs). Conversation is minimal (as players wait for the necessary privacy to rip the staff, and vice versa).
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This standard, awkward behaviour, which extends across teams and leagues throughout North America, was shockingly violated after a Toronto Marlies loss a few years back in Albany. Kyle Dubas was in the meal room with the team, as was customary those years, and he was watching NHL videos when he decided to ask a loud, very fair question across the room to one player in particular.
“Johnny,” he started as every single person in the room tuned into the following question for Andreas Johnsson, “Why can’t you be Viktor Arvidsson?”
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As I mentioned when discussing the comparables: Johnsson is a year and a half younger than his fellow Swede, an inch taller, the same weight, and also talented as hell and with quite the resume when it comes to creating offence in his younger days. Arvidsson, though, was eating off going to the net, being a pain in the butt, and not just relying on skill. You have to be special to be small and a pure skill guy in the NHL – the implication seemed to be that if Johnsson doubled down on the grit side of things, on being heavy on the puck, he could take a huge step.
This is all a long walk to say that Andreas Johnsson has shown to me that he’s really developed into a great example of what’s “hockey tough” today, not unlike Viktor Arvidsson. He isn’t afraid to be first to the puck, to take a lick to make a play or to go to the areas where you know you’re either scoring or taking a whack. On a team that doesn’t have a ton of those guys, I think he’s more valuable to the Leafs than people realize.
His ceiling over the next couple seasons to me isn’t quite Arvidsson, but it is as high as a 50-60 point guy who can play 17-plus minutes and kill penalties while earning an extremely team-friendly salary.
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OK, so what do the Leafs have in Trevor Moore?
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Trevor Moore doesn’t have much more leverage than “Yes I’ll accept an NHL one-way” at this point. Because of that, if the Leafs believe he’s truly NHL capable, they might want to consider giving him a multi-year, cheap deal. Would he take three, four years at a mil per? I’d sure be eager to find out.
I’d be eager to find out, because here’s what I believe he is as a player: His first few steps are super quick and he’s a hard worker with skill who has an offensive sense for the net. He isn’t big or physical, isn’t overpowering in any particular way, but he’s just got that brain to know where to be and the jump to physically get where he needs to go. He’s a humble kid who’ll do whatever is asked of him who’s also well-liked by his teammates. I think there’s a really good chance he’ll endear himself to this Leafs staff, earn a regular spot, and even fill in in the top six when there are injuries (he’s good on the power play, too). He’s got the pop necessary to help all over the lineup.
A guy like Moore is found money for a Leafs team looking for cheap value at the fringes. The steps he’s taken are a testament to the program Dubas, Gilman and the Leafs have put together for their prospects.
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How big a problem is the Leafs D?
There’s no doubt the right side is a problem, and real contenders – almost all of them – would stack up favourably right side D vs. right side D. But the reality of this salary cap era is, most teams have a weakness. There’s no perfect team. And is the Leafs right side so bad it can’t be overcome by their strengths in other areas? I don’t think that’s the case.
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But most importantly, I still 100 per cent believe Kyle Dubas will attempt to address the D situation in some way in the coming month. In my experience with the Toronto Marlies, when we had a roster need, it was always addressed between the new year and the trade deadline in some way.
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