Travis Boyd signed a one year deal worth $700,000 with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. This deal will carry him through the 2020-21 season.
🖋️ We've signed Travis Boyd to a one-year contract. #LeafsForever
Details: https://t.co/0ymvrLxhBB pic.twitter.com/EoqpU2wvRE
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) October 10, 2020
Travis Boyd Signs with Toronto Maple Leafs
In his last season with the Washington Capitals, Boyd was not an incredibly impactful player. In 24 games played, he scored three goals and had seven assists for an even 10 points. As a centerman, his faceoff percentage was exceptionally weak, sitting at 42% on the season. In his three year career, all played with the Capitals, Boyd has played 85 games, scoring eight goals with 23 assists for 31 points. His career faceoff percentage is 39.5% and he usually averages about 10 minutes per game. Last season, his Corsi rating is a 54.2%, with a relative Corsi of 2.9.
Looking to the Future
Boyd signing with the Maple Leafs is not the greatest pickup for the Leafs. He was a healthy scratch for about half of the games played on the Capitals, and was on the fourth line when he was playing. With just about 10 minutes of ice time per game, Boyd’s presence was rarely felt. He is partially a physical player, but struggles greatly at the face-off dot. The Leafs may be looking to add depth to their forwards, but it seems like Boyd was not the optimal player. However, signing him at league minimum was a good move for the Leafs, as they do not give up much of their precious cap space that can be saved for more impactful players. Boyd could be a healthy scratch more and more often if the Leafs find another, better, fourth line pivot. Seeing as the Leafs might make a big move in free agency in the upcoming days, signing a fourth-line centre just to have that slot filled could be their goal.
