Travis Boyd has been a bit of a revelation this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After a few seasons with the Washington Capitals, he was signed as a depth forward by general manager Kyle Dubas. With the Maple Leafs, he’s played largely as a member of the team’s fourth line.
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As far as fourth-line play goes, Boyd’s been quite productive. For example, he scored a power-play goal in his team’s 5-3 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada.
Boyd Isn’t a Rookie, But He’s Never Been a Regular
Boyd is playing in his fourth NHL season; however, he’s never been part of an NHL lineup game in and game out. In fact, he hadn’t scored a power-play goal before Saturday’s game.
One of the interesting things that’s occurred in his game is that – although he plays largely fourth-line minutes – he’s been given (and has taken advantage of) that larger role on the Maple Leafs’ power play. He sometimes takes the odd shift on the team’s top-six when Joe Thornton needs a shift off during a game.
Boyd has good skills around the net. In total for the season, Boyd’s scored six points in 11 games. And, he’s only playing around 10 minutes per game. That’s good production.
Jason Spezza Lauds Travis Boyd’s Game
Boyd seems to have a huge fan in line mate and one-day Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee Jason Spezza.
Spezza notes that he’s gaining a great chemistry with Boyd. When Spezza speaks about his line mate he notes that Boyd has several characteristics that make him easy to play with. First, Spezza believes that he and Boyd have found a way to feed off each other. Spezza also appreciates the fact that Boyd forechecks hard and that he’s able to jump on and get to loose pucks.
However, the thing that Spezza believes makes Boyd such a good hockey player and so easy to play with is that he has an abundance of hockey sense. For example, Spezza notes that Boyd gets to the right spots on the ice, is easy to read on the ice, and can finish a play because he has a great touch around the net.
As a result of these characteristics and the two players’ compatible skill sets, Spezza sees Boyd as a valuable addition to the team. The chemistry they’ve created together bodes well for the success of the Maple Leafs’ fourth line.
Maple Leafs’ Spezza Praises Boyd’s Hockey Sense
As noted, in the In the video interview below, you can hear Spezza speaking about how good it is to have a line mate like Boyd to partner with. Spezza particularly talks about how he’s been able to build chemistry with Boyd because of his great hockey sense.
Good luck to Boyd this season. Perhaps he’s found a home on the Maple Leafs’ fourth line.
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