With the Toronto Maple Leafs season well underway, the injury to Zach Hyman and his subsequent absence from the first line is glaringly obvious. Normally, Hyman slots in on John Tavares’s left wing with Mitch Marner balancing out the right side.
Hyman was originally injured during the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Boston Bruins. During Game 4, Hyman attempted a check that resulted in a tear in his ACL. Assuming it was only a hyperextension, Hyman continued to play and wasn’t aware of the severity of the injury until after the Leafs’ elimination. Hyman went through surgery in April and has been recovering and training since.
Based on the timeline, Zach Hyman is due to return in late October or early November. He will only miss around fifteen games. For an ACL injury, the loss could have been much worse and it’s a relief that he will be back in the lineup relatively soon.
But in the meantime, Hyman’s absence has proven to be more of a problem than anticipated. Even head coach Mike Babcock acknowledged it following a loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Substituting Zach Hyman
Kasperi Kapanen is already accustomed to filling in for his missing teammates. He spent the first half of last season keeping William Nylander’s spot warm. He was as good as a filler on Matthews’s right wing as any, albeit never truly replacing the chemistry that uniquely connects Matthews and Nylander.
So Kapanen was the easy choice to temporarily replace Hyman, especially following a decent preseason. With uncertainty in the rest of the bottom six guys, the temporary promotion made sense for Kapanen.
However, with five regular season games down, it’s become apparent that the first line just isn’t clicking. While Kapanen has lived up to his standards in speed, the finishes aren’t there. The plays aren’t connecting. The top is not producing. To be fair, Kapanen is playing on his off wing with linemates he’s never really played with before. So whether the issues are completely on Kapanen or not is debatable, but at the end of the day, something does have to change.
Besides, with the Leafs going top-heavy with salaries, this normal top line alone costs a whopping $24.15M AAV. But Hyman only makes a mere $2.25M, just a fraction compared to his counterparts. So why is the first line noticeably struggling without him?
It’s not the end of the world, as Tavares and Marner have already registered three goals and seven assists between them. However, the majority of these points were collected on powerplay goals. The top line at even strength has been quiet and nearly invisible, especially in the Leafs’ most recent loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. That in itself should be a wakeup call to shake things up in the lineup.
Other Options
Zach Hyman is projected to be out for a few more weeks, so activating the top line is still top priority. The Leafs cannot afford to wait out Hyman’s return, especially in the increasingly competitive Atlantic Division.
There isn’t too much risk in trying out a guy like Ilya Mikheyev or Trevor Moore in Kapanen’s place. Both players have been phenomenal and exceeded expectations so far. Moore isn’t too far off from a logical decision, given he was a top candidate before the season began.
Besides, returning Kapanen to the third line is endgame once the Leafs roster is fully healthy. Uniting Alexander Kerfoot and Kasperi Kapanen will produce exceptional speed and, hopefully, scoring chances. Returning Kapanen to the third line early would allow that line chemistry to develop, which will be more beneficial in the long run. This wouldn’t be necessarily true if Kapanen had worked out on the top line. But given the circumstances, it would not hurt to switch up the top line and get started on Kapanen’s big picture.
Zach Hyman has slowly but steadily making strides to full recovery. He has practiced with the team and has upgraded out of a no-contact team. Yet, he cannot be rushed, as his long-term presence in the lineup is absolutely imperative to the Leafs’ success. Even if the Leafs have to struggle for a few more weeks, it’s a better option than risking Hyman’s full and complete recovery.
For now, Mike Babcock seems to be sticking with Kapanen – Tavares – Marner as the starting first line configuration. This can only go on for so long until the Leafs are forced to try something new. The season has only just begun, but the Leafs must stay on their A-game.
Follow Jacqueline on Twitter @jxcquelineoh
1 Comment
A good read. Nice one, Jacqueline!