Sheldon Keefe identifies one depth player who deserves to be elevated in the lineup
Denis Malgin has been a machine since he re-entered the Leafs' lineup against San Jose on October 27th. He joined the fourth line with David Kampf and Zach Aston-Reese which has quickly become one of, if not the Leafs' best line.
They haven't put up a great number of points, but the underlying numbers show that they have been primarily driving play offensively since being put together. Malgin has been a water bug for the Leafs on the fourth line and has added some much-needed transition speed to the line. So much so, that his underlying numbers at 5-on-5 this season lead the team.
63.1 xGF% (leads team)
1.66 xGA/60 (leads team)
0 GA
Sheldon Keefe called Malgin the team's best player a few games ago and on Thursday at practice, he praised his work again saying, "The reality is, if Malgin keeps playing the way that he has, he's probably going to elevate in the lineup. At the same time, I'm hesitant to do that because it's working so well in that role."
Keefe is absolutely right in his thinking here about Malgin. As much as he deserves to play higher up in the lineup, since he was added to the fourth line, Keefe has been able to play them much more and spread the forward minutes around. Not only that but as mentioned, they are driving play and very defensively responsible 5-on-5.
Still, having said that, with Malgin being very noticeable on most shifts, perhaps the top six would benefit from having a player like that pushing back defenders with his speed and creating some additional space. It will be intriguing to see what Sheldon Keefe has planned for Malgin moving forward. He could be a prime candidate to take on some additional shifts if he feels like shortening the bench on certain nights.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 11 | 159 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe identifies one depth player who deserves to be elevated in the lineup Should Malgin remain on the 4th line or be elevated into the top 6? | ||
| Top 6 Malgin! Let's go! | 71 | 44.7 % |
| Bottom-6 Malgin is effective. Leave him there | 88 | 55.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
