One Leafs winger a strong candidate for a contract extension after incredible run in Toronto
Dating back to his playings days with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Zach Aston-Reese was always touted as a very underrated defensively-capable forward. In fact, most forwards who play on the fourth line or bottom-6 generally carry around a negative plus/minus. However, Aston-Reese was a +38 with Pittsburgh over his 5 year tenure and was even a +1 on a very bad Anaheim Ducks team in 2021-22.
On Julien Gauthier's fluky goal on Saturday night during Toronto's 5-4 shootout victory, Aston-Reese was on the ice for a goal against for the first time in 9 games. Dating back even further, he has only been on the ice for a goal against once in his previous 14 games. These are important and critical stats because it encompasses his career and impact as a whole.
Since 2007-08, no forward with 3000+ 5-on-5 minutes has been on for less goals against per 60 minutes than Zach Aston-Reese. This, according to The Athletic's Kevin Papetti. In those aforementioned 14 games he scored 2 goals and added an assist, was a plus-2, and averaged 10:20 TOI. Over his career, he has played in 294 games, scored 39 goals and 76 points, and is nearing a career-high in goals.
He goes under the radar, not just because of his bottom-6 duties, but also because of the star-studded lineup that the Leafs possess. However, players like Aston-Reese are a commodity for any team but especially for playoff teams with Stanley Cup aspirations. He's not a liability when on the ice, he is comfortable when tasked with bigger minutes, and is responsible on and off the puck.
He is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end and shouldn't command too much on the open market. He is currently affecting the cap with a $840,630 AAV so it's highly likely that the Leafs can iron out a team-friendly deal with the 28-year-old forward ahead of the free agent frenzy, should Kyle Dubas wish to lock up one of his most reliable depth wingers.
| POLL | ||
MARS 20 | 334 ANSWERS One Leafs winger a strong candidate for a contract extension after incredible run in Toronto Should the Leafs extend Zach Aston-Reese this summer? | ||
| Yes | 257 | 76.9 % |
| No | 77 | 23.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
