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What the Maple Leafs Can Expect from Zach Aston-Reese

The Toronto Maple Leafs today signed Zach Aston-Reese to a PTO. Can Aston-Reese make the team? If so, what does he bring that helps?

Today something finally happened with the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the face of it, it might not have seemed like much, but the team’s signing of defense-first forward Zach Aston-Reese to a PTO might be huge. 

Aston-Reese will come into the team’s September training camp with one thing on his mind, that’s making the team. Aston-Reese has been around a long time, but he isn’t much of a scorer. He spent the first five seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins and then was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. 

In 230 NHL games, he’s only scored 32 goals and added 34 assists (for points). Scoring is just something he doesn’t seek to do. Instead, his job is to keep the puck out of his own goal.

Related: Maple Leafs News & Rumors: Muzzin, Kadri, Robertson & Dubas

What Can Maple Leafs’ Fans Expect from Aston-Reese?

There are two main things that Maple Leafs’ fans can expect from Aston-Reese. The first is defense.

One twitter note today said that “Zach Aston-Reese is the kind of one-dimensional player who is so good at his one dimension that most teams would benefit from having him, maybe all 32 teams.” 

The one aspect the person was talking about is defense. Like Maple Leafs’ third-line center David Kampf, Aston-Reese starts almost every shift (well 67% of them) in his defensive zone. That kind of starts in the defensive zone the team’s third line faces almost every game.

But, the second thing Maple Leafs’ fans can also expect is that Aston-Reese will be a left-winger who’s a forechecking force. He hits. In fact, he ranked 11th for all NHL forwards in hits with 231 in 2021-22, and he only averaged 13:02 TOI in the 69 games he played.

It Seems Aston-Reese Is Headed to the Team’s Fourth Line

Over the past few seasons, the Maple Leafs’ fourth line has been sort of catch-as-catch-can. There never seemed to be a rhyme or reason for the makeup of the line. It was good some games and not-so-good other games, but it seemed to me to have no personality.

This offseason, Maple Leafs’ general manager Kyle Dubas went out to build a fourth line that had some possibility for energy, increased speed, and more defensive reliability. 

Dubas noted in July that “We would like it to be a line that can be heavily relied on for us, like our others, but just more physicality, more competitiveness and drive the play down the ice and be relied upon for Sheldon that way.” 

Related: MAPLE LEAFS LINEUP IF MATTHEWS & MARNER EACH HAD A LINE

This Offseason, Dubas Prioritized the Team’s Fourth Line

Dubas went out and signed some salary-cap-friendly players who can create something. Two specifically were right-winger Nicolas Aubé-Kubel and center Adam Gaudette. Both are defensively-responsible forwards who came with little risk on one-year contracts.

Aubé-Kubel signed for $1 million, and Gaudette signed for $750,000. If Aston-Reese impresses the coaching staff during training camp, fans should expect that he would also sign a salary-cap-friendly one-year contract. 

Zach Aston-Reese, now with the Maple Leafs

By the way, Luke Fox reported that Aston-Reese had a chance to go to the Edmonton Oilers on a PTO, but chose a Maple Leafs instead. 

Dubas gave a hint why that might be when he noted – there “have to be guys that look at our situation and say, ‘I can go there for a year or two on relatively low dollars, and the group would be a fit for me to have success and then parlay that into something greater.’ ”

Here’s hoping Aston-Reese might be one of those guys.

Related: Maple Leafs Fans: Don’t Quit on Nick Robertson, He’s a Fighter

9 Comments

9 Comments

  1. getrdone

    September 10, 2022 at 8:36 am

    Just my 2 cents worth, but if Zach can bring that hitting and defensive energy to the Leafs, then he will replace one of the other aging applicants. I for one would love to see the Leafs have more of a slowing presence to the other team and that means a 4th line that can contribute to the overall defence of the team. Our scoring has not been a problem, but our checking tenacity(physical) has.

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