Team: 2020-21 Toronto Maple Leafs

Initial Creation Date: Dec. 15, 2020

Published: Dec. 15, 2020

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

Honestly, I liked pretty much all the moves Kyle Dubas made this offseason, but there was one in particular that both surprised and confused me. I think it was a mistake signing Zach Bogosian since I don't feel he is an impactful player at NHL level anymore.

The thing is, Zach has never been a smart player. He has outstanding skating ability and puck skills that allows him to generate a lot of offence, but his game away from the puck is lacking. He is slow to react to the play and is constantly out of position allowing the opposition to easily get a scoring chance. That's why he accumulates so many hits and blocked shots, he's always having to defend in an under siege situation similar to Jack Johnson.

It is true that he has mostly played on bad teams throughout his career, therefore, it might explain his poor results. He did have a solid playoffs with Tampa, during the first 3 rounds, his on-ice impacts were excellent. However, he was most frequently sharing the ice with Hedman, Point and Kucherov, 3 of the best possessing driving players in their position. He was exposed against Dallas and got benched. In Toronto, he will be in a sheltered role playing with excellent possession players again, but I'm still not convinced.

Honestly, if the Leafs wanted a big body defenceman, they could've just resigned Ceci. He's not smart either and doesn't generate any offence but at least he doesn't get caved in every shift.

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