Welcome to another edition of NHL Rumours! The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking to sign one of their forwards to an extension. This extension could happen as early as the new year, which is only a few months away from now. The player in question is Steven Lorentz.
Maple Leafs Want to Extend Lorentz
According to former NHLer and current analyst for Sportsnet, Nick Kypreos, Toronto loves Lorentz. The team has been so impressed with his start to the season that they are willing to sign him to a new contract. It should be noted that Lorentz was signed on a PTO by the Leafs back in September. Now, less than two months later, they want to lock him down for a few more years. Furthermore, the Kitchener, Ont. native signed his contract with his hometown team less than two weeks ago. After having an impressive training camp and preseason in front of head coach Craig Berube, he was signed. He earned a one-year deal at $775K, slightly above the league minimum. It’s played out to be a steal for Toronto and a great addition by the general manager, Brad Treliving.
So far this season, Lorentz has given the Leafs no reason not to keep him longer. It’s almost impossible to find a flaw in his game thus far. He seems like the perfect fit on the fourth line and can do about everything. His best attributes are his ability to forecheck effectively, kill penalties, and be physical. In his first four games this season, he scored a goal and recorded an assist. They both came in Toronto’s first win of the season in New Jersey against the Devils.
A Key Piece to the Bottom Six
In the first two games of this season, Toronto’s stars were kept quiet. In the meantime, it was the Leafs’ bottom six that were picking up the pieces and getting on the board. They were shut out in the season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. However, Toronto’s secondary and tertiary scoring looked the most threatening on the night. Although, they really shined against the Devils. Max Pacioretty, Bobby McMann and Lorentz found the back of the net in the first period. This proves the Leafs’ bottom six has a whole new purpose under Berube.
When Sheldon Keefe was behind Toronto’s bench, it wasn’t like this. Under Keefe, the team was star-focused and the bottom six, especially the fourth line, didn’t really matter. Most of the ice time would go to the top two lines. Even the top power-play unit would get the full two minutes on the ice sometimes. However, that has changed with Berube as bench boss. He likes to run all four lines and use them effectively and strategically. There’s an example of there being more of a balance in ice time between the players this season. In that game against the Devils, Lorentz got 15:07 of time on the ice as a fourth-liner. That was more than John Tavares and Max Domi, who are both second and third-line players.
Main Photo Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images
