PHOTO CREDIT: TOM SZCZERBOWSKI-USA TODAY SPORTS





With the Stanley Cup Finals already a fading memory, we are officially in the NHL offseason. With no NHL hockey scheduled until the fall, teams prepare for the 2018-19 campaign over the next 4-months by tooling their roster in the hopes of having success.

This coming season will be filled with higher expectations for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite a record-setting regular season, the team once again was eliminated from the playoffs by the Boston Bruins in the first round (UGH!). Fans want the team to go further in the playoffs and show signs of progression towards Cup contention.

Speaking of progression, I wanted to talk about Josh Leivo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLObkht4hoc

The 25-year-old left winger has been with the Leafs since being drafted in the third round in 2011. Since then, he's been used sporadically by the team in the NHL despite putting up decent numbers everywhere he's played.

When Leivo did suit up for the Blue and White, he didn't look out of place. In his career with the Leafs, he has 10 goals, 12 assists, and 22 points in 57 games played. Half of those goals occurred during the 2015-16 season when he scored 5 tallies in just 12 games. He also has a career Corsi-for% of 51.9 and has been a great possession player despite limited playing time.

He also showcased that he has one of the team's best wrist shots when given time and space. As seen in the first video, he's got good speed and offensive awareness to grab the puck, corral it and fire it to the tiny opening by Cam Ward's glove.

That's an NHL-quality shot and is one of the aspects of Leivo's game I love. In fact, a lot of his goals are like this, as you can see on the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKjAO71qiA4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fKhbFjuyIY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ4NG6g9PvU

You would think that with that kind of release and ability to shoot the puck, Leivo would have been a full-time member of the roster by now. He would be the kind of player you would want on a power play, which is key to being a successful winger in this league.

Think about the words "power play" and "winger" for a moment. The Leafs have a lot of players like this already, a few of which are more talented than Leivo currently. There's also a large cluster of wingers in Toronto's farm system that are highly skilled and a number of them can be potential impact players someday.

This bevy of wingers, combined with his age, has not only prevented him from getting more playing time but also puts his long-term future with the team into question.

https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/960550897318162432

At his age, he should, at the very least, be getting a lot more playing time. It's around this time in a player's career where they reach their prime and we see their best production at the NHL level. Granted, there is the potential for late-bloomers to enjoy success later in their careers, but this is typically where most players reach their peak and establish themselves as NHLers.

To this point, Leivo has yet to do that and not from a lack of effort. Simply put, the Leafs for the past few seasons have had too many players playing a role similar to his and he was only used when an injury occurred to the regulars (which has been rare the past few years). His current one-year contract is proof of that, and the rumoured trade request doesn't help either. Though Babcock seems to have faith in him, it's been difficult for Leivo to make an impression with limited playing time.

This upcoming season, however, could finally be his chance to make an impact to be a full-time NHLer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQJze15rwJE

With James van Riemsdyk’s future with the team murky, a roster spot on the left wing could likely open up, which Leivo will have to compete for at the upcoming training camp. Yes, the Leafs do have a bunch of quality wingers possibly coming up in Carl Grundstrum and Trevor Moore, but Leivo's NHL experience, albeit brief, should give him a slight edge.

Assuming Leivo does crack the roster, he deserves to get an extended look with more appearances. He would likely slot into the third line left-winger position and potentially get time on the power play. While JVR's net-front presence will surely be missed if he does not re-sign, Leivo has decent size (6'2'' 210 pounds) and can be that guy if needed. Or he can just continue to use his lethal shot and score that way.

https://twitter.com/markhmasters/status/924460338413576193

When it comes down to it, this is Leivo's last legitimate chance to crack the Leafs roster. He is becoming too old to be considered a prospect and the upcoming prospect depth behind him hurts his long-term future outlook. That's, of course, if he doesn't take full advantage of the opportunity that may likely be presented to him.

The expected fresh new-look lineup should help Leivo slot into the lineup to get some playing time to start at least to start the season. If he can't make enough of an impression to avoid the press box for long stretches of the season, then the Leafs should trade him an asset in return rather to just let him go when his contract expires.

In short, the Leafs should keep Leivo for the start of the 2018-19 season to see how he performs on a potential JVR-less team. If he does well, he'll finally make the team for good because he can potentially light the lamp many times over. If he fails, then his days with the team will be numbered.

As someone who's been a fan of his since seeing his first NHL goal, I'm hoping for Leivo to make the team and to produce. He has the skills to be a successful scoring winger with one of the better shots on the team. It's now up to him to do everything he can if he wants to remain with the Leafs from 2019 and beyond.

All stats for this article are from Hockey-Reference.com.