What is Travis Dermott to the Toronto Maple Leafs?
It says a lot about a fanbase when a player who isn't a regular in the lineup is polarizing. It's not out of the ordinary for Leafs fans to single out a player who doesn't necessarily deserve the heat, and Travis Dermott seems to be one of these players.
Dermott got off to a hot start with the Leafs as 21 year old in 2018. He showed signs of being a future top-4 defenceman and had a memorable moment when he scored his first NHL goal against the New York Islanders and lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, 4 seasons later, Dermott is still trying to find his place in the Leafs lineup, and has been relegated to mostly third pair duty.
When the Leafs' defense has been at full health, Dermott has occasionally found himself on the outside as the team's 7th defender. This has largely been due to the emergence of Rasmus Sandin over the last calendar year, and the early success of Timothy Liljegren this season.
At 25 years old, Dermott is viewed as the player that he is and doesn't have much upside remaining - though defensemen do mature more slowly than forwards. Many people had pegged him as the player likely to be claimed by Seattle this past summer, and he is often a throw-in in mock trades. Although he hasn't been the top-4 guy that we initially thought he'd be, that doesn't mean that fans should count Travis Dermott out.
Dermott has the versatility to play on both the left and right side. It is something that makes him an asset to an NHL team. Especially because of how coveted a right-side defender who can move the puck is, especially if they are good in transition.
Another interesting factor in all of thus is that Dermott has always played with a bit of an edge as well. At just 6 feet tall, he isn't the biggest player on the ice but he is never afraid to shy away from the physical aspects of the game, especially in front of his own net.
Dermott seems to have learned a lot from playing with Zach Bogosian last season and in the 19 games that he has played this year, Dermott has shown that he can be a pest on the Leafs back end, disrupting the opposition's forecheck and looking for quick exits.
Dermott is in the first year of a 2-year deal at $1.5 million per season. While he doesn't play everyday, that's a deal that the Leafs wouldn't have given him if the organization didn't believe that there was still some room to prove himself.
Between his positional versatility, the edge that he plays with, and his ability to be effective in transition, Dermott can certainly earn his way back into a regular spot in the lineup and potentially even challenge for some top-4 minutes as an injury replacement.
