'I Hope It Happens Here. If Not, It's Going To Work Somewhere Else': This Could Alex Steeves' Last Chance To Show He Belongs With The Maple Leafs

Signing with Toronto as a free agent in 2021, Steeves has been limited to eight NHL games over four seasons.

Just days before NHL free agency opened this summer, the Toronto Maple Leafs extended qualifying offers to several of their players. Among them was Alex Steeves, despite being limited to just seven NHL games over his last three seasons and two in the last two years.

Steeves has previously expressed his desire for more opportunities with the Maple Leafs, but those chances have yet to materialize. That might change in the short term, with the player called up amid a bunch of injuries. Still, the 24-year-old New Hampshire native wasn’t surprised when the Leafs extended him an offer to retain his rights.

“I guess the reason it didn’t surprise me is because I would have qualified me,” Steeves told The Hockey News after his first practice with the Leafs on Friday. “I made the (AHL) All-Star game on my entry-level deal, produced a ton in the American League. I think I provide a combination of physicality and doggedness, with some skill and scoring punch that I think teams should want. And, I think they should have qualified me, so I wasn’t surprised, and I’m glad they did.”

Steeves has faced stiff competition ever since signing with the Maple Leafs in March 2021 following his Junior year with the University of Notre Dame, opting to join Toronto despite interest from other NHL teams.

With the Toronto Marlies, Steeves has little left to prove. As he pointed out, he’s been an AHL All-Star and, with 166 points, is just two shy of the all-time Marlies points record held by Kris Newbury at 168.

“I didn’t know about it until the beginning of the year when they were filming a lot of stuff,” Steeves said. “And I say with no salt or anything like that, hopefully, I never play an American League game again. But if I do, yeah, of course, I’m going to try to break that record the next time I’m in.”

The likelihood of Steeves breaking that record seems high. After signing a one-year deal worth $775,000 at the NHL level and $300,000 in the AHL, Steeves remains acutely aware of the challenges he faces.

Although he’s wished for more NHL opportunities during his time in Toronto, Steeves exudes an unshakable confidence in his ability to become an everyday NHL player, a mindset that has helped him maintain a positive outlook.

“I would say I definitely feel like maybe, you know, I could have had more opportunities in the past. I think I’m human to think that. I’ve performed pretty well in the American League,” Steeves said. “This year, I’ve been in a better headspace. I’ve come to accept that there are so many things out of my control, whether it’s bringing in guys, roster limits, cap space limits—you know, I could go on and on.

“For me, it’s kind of just biding my time and coming to accept that, obviously, I want to be here. I chose to be here, and I’ve been really loyal up until this point—this is my fourth year here. But at the same time, whether or not it happens for me here, I just need to focus on the things I can do. I think I’m going to have a long NHL career.”

Steeves admired Bobby McMann to go from the Marlies and turn his stint with the Maple Leafs last season into a two-year extension and a consistent spot in the NHL. With injuries to Auston Matthews (upper-body) and Max Pacioretty (lower-body), Steeves appears poised for another chance to suit up for the Leafs when they host the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. However, once the roster is healthy, Steeves is the likely candidate to return to the Marlies from a roster management perspective.

In the meantime, he has to make an impression. He generated Toronto's first scoring chance in his season debut against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday. He finished the game with three shots on goal in 14:09 of ice time, playing on the third line alongside David Kampf and Pontus Holmberg.

I thought he had a real good camp with his energy and, you know, just his work ethic and puck battles and things like that. He came in and did a fine job for his last game, too. I thought he was fine in the game and we were happy with him," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said of Steeves. "He's just got to just keep staying focused. And, you know, when he gets an opportunity, he'll get in there and do his best."

If a sustained NHL run doesn’t come with the Leafs, Steeves is preparing for the possibility that his path to becoming an NHL regular may unfold elsewhere. At just 25 next summer, he will qualify as a Group 6 unrestricted free agent, having completed three or more professional seasons while playing fewer than 80 NHL games.

“I hope it happens here. I really do,” Steeves said. “But I’m putting less pressure on myself because if it doesn’t work out here, it’s going to work out somewhere else.”