The Leafs don't miss Zach Hyman as much as we thought they might
The Toronto Maple Leafs offense was thought to have suffered a significant blow this past summer when Zach Hyman signed with the Edmonton Oilers. The 29-year-old was a staple in the Leafs top-6 during the bulk of his time in Toronto and has not slowed down since arriving in Edmonton. One of the biggest questions coming into this season for the Leafs was, how would they replace Hyman's production? The answer, by committee.
The Leafs did a lot of bargain bin shopping this summer and so far have hit on three of these players. Michael Bunting, David Kämpf, and Ondřej Ka�e. All three players have exceeded expectations thus far.
Michael Bunting had an exceptional start to his NHL career last season scoring at nearly a 40 goal pace with the Coyotes. Bunting continued his offensive production while cooking up some good chemistry with Matthews and Marner on the Leafs' top line. He has also played the pest role that Hyman played in Toronto. Bunting has said in the past that one of the players he models his game after is Brad Marchand. We have seen that this season as he currently sits among the league leaders in penalties drawn.
Ondřej Ka�e has also contributed to the offense that Hyman had contributed in years past. We all knew that when healthy, Ka�e is a great middle 6 forward. There is a reason the Bruins gave up a 1st round pick for him in 2020. That being said, the issue has been health. This season, for the most part, Ka�e has been able to stay healthy and as of late his offensive production has skyrocketed. Not only has Ka�e contributed offensively but he has played a key role on the Leafs penalty kill this season.
He and David Kämpf have been exceptional defensively and on the pk this season. In years past Hyman played a key role on the pk but Kämpf and Ka�e have filled that void exceptionally. The Leafs currently have the 10th best pk in hockey and it is largely due to the impact that the two have had. They have also revamped the Leafs third line and have been integral parts in the «shutdown line» that this team has lacked for years. The three players may not have all of the skill sets that Hyman had but that hasn't stopped the committee from replacing, and even exceeding his production in Toronto.
