Since skating on a line with Zach Aston-Reese and David Kampf, Denis Malgin has given Maple Leafs head coach a fourth-line that is actually better than a fourth line.
It may not have been the spot they envisioned for him when they signed the Swiss forward to a one-year deal to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs this season. But after starting on the second line to becoming a healthy scratch for a few games, Denis Malgin has found a stable role on the team’s bottom-six, skating on a line with Zach Aston-Reese and David Kampf.
The trio skated together for the third consecutive game in the team’s 3-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Sunday. In a game that saw head coach Sheldon Keefe shuffle up the other three forward lines in the middle of the game, the line featuring Malgin remained constant. He started the trio for all three periods and called Malgin his best player for much of the game.
“[He was] one of the only guys really hanging onto the puck and making things happen,” Keefe said. “It’s a really positive thing for us, really happy for Dennis.”
Malgin’s line played over 10 minutes of even-strength hockey on Sunday and had a team-best expected goals-for percentage of 73 percent. Malgin finished with a team-high five shots on goal out of 21 total from the Leafs.
When Malgin first joined the fourth line with Aston-Reese and Kampf on Nov. 2, he finished with a 92 percent expected goals-for in a 5-2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. Having finally found the right fit for that line, Nicolas Aube-Kubel was expendable and the Maple Leafs put him on waivers (he was claimed by the Washington Capitals on Saturday).
“It’s been a few games in a row now that that line’s been really both responsible and dangerous at the same time,” Keefe said. “Malgin’s inclusion in that group gives it that element.”
In the five games that Aube-Kubel skated with Aston-Reese and Kampf, their 19 percent expected-goals was one of the worst on the team. The simple switch from Aube-Kubel to Malgin improved the line to 73 percent, the best of any line that has played at least three games together.
While they currently skate as the team’s fourth line in rushes, it might be time to start looking at the trio as a third line. The other players who skate there regularly (Pierre Engvall and Calle Jarnkrok) have failed to generate much in terms of consistency.
First game against Vegas this season
Malgin was a healthy scratch when the Maple Leafs went on the road and dropped a 3-1 decision to the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 24. Aston-Reese was also a healthy scratch and will likely also play against them for the first time this season. The line will have a tough challenge against the hottest team in the NHL right now. Vegas is 11-2-0 and that Malgin’s line may see a lot of defensive pair Nic Hague and Zach Whitecloud, who have outscored their opponents 7-0 when they’ve been on the ice over the last two games.
Where to watch
Viewers/streamers in the Maple Leafs’ broadcast region can watch the game on TSN4. Canadians outside of the Maple Leafs’ viewing area can watch it on Sportsnet Now Premium.
Americans in the Vegas broadcast regions can watch on AT&T Sportsnet. Americans outside of the viewing area can watch on ESPN+
After the game, Rink Wide Toronto breaks it all down with a post-game podcast. We break down everything that happened in the game and take you inside the dressing room.