TORONTO — Following one of those forgettable early-season morning skates light on news or drama, fringe forward Denis Malgin got to talking about his experience in his native Swiss league and how it might differ from professional hockey on this side of the pond.
The Swiss battle through a more physical brand of the sport than North Americans might believe, he argued. Fights broke out over there too, Malgin maintained, even if he never shed the gloves himself.
And yet the 5-foot-9 waterbug — fleet on his feet, nifty with his hands — was able to thrive in the Swiss-A, leading all Zurich Lions last season with 21 goals and 52 points in 48 games.
That performance, coupled with a redoubled effort without the puck, earned Malgin a one-year, $750,000 second shot this fall with Kyle Dubas’s Toronto Maple Leafs.
Desperate to fill a gaping second-line left wing hole, preferably for cheap, Malgin was given a legitimate shot to use his best attributes in Toronto, even winning a contentious roster spot over homegrown prospect Nick Robertson coming out of training camp.
The man whose name comes up as a search error on HockeyFights.com was a long shot to refashion Toronto’s bottom six. But maybe Malgin’s offence could translate six time zones to the west and he could play third fiddle to a pair of the Maple Leafs’ elite.
Well, in his unceremonious final appearance as a Leaf, Malgin was a dash-2 in Saturday’s 5-2 loss to Washington, despite skating a season-high 15:30 alongside Mitch Marner and John Tavares — two stars who’ve made careers out of elevating those in their orbit.
Malgin, 25, leaves Toronto (again) on a 12-game point drought and a 17-game goal drought. He registered two goals and two assists while appearing in 23 of the Leafs’ 32 games.
By beating the midnight holiday trade freeze and trading Malgin to the Colorado Avalanche for Dryden Hunt Monday, Dubas has completed another smart but minor deal.
Cut bait on a high-hopes player (think: Nick Ritchie, Curtis Douglas) once it become apparent that the results are underwhelming.
Salvage a useful, less-risky role player (Ilya Lyubushkin, Conor Timmins) to pinch in on the lower half of the roster.
The money is basically a wash, with impending UFA Hunt carrying a $762,500 cap hit.
Enter Dryden Hunt, a pure fourth-line left wing who knows his job.
Straight lines. Check bodies. Keep the minuses down. HockeyFights.com has heard of him.
“Guy that plays hard. Pretty simple game. Physical and competitive,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe told reporters.
“Not a lot has happened for him offensively in the NHL, but he has scored at the AHL level. Protects the puck well. To that end, brings a little different element to the depth of the team."
The undrafted Hunt, 27, enjoyed a monster 2015-16 as an over-ager for the Moose Jaw Warriors (58-58–116), then clawed his way to the NHL through the minor leagues.
He was a two-time 23-goal man for the Springfield Thunderbirds before getting regular minutes as a checker for the Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers and the Avalanche.
Last season in New York, Hunt set career highs in games played (76), goals (six), assists (11) and penalty minutes (52).
Coaches like him.
A source who watched Hunt closely with the Rangers describes him as a tenacious and defensively responsible forechecker best suited for limited minutes. He’s fast and shoots the puck hard.
In a pinch, Hunt might be able to fill in higher up the lineup short-term.
“When the Rangers were searching for top-six wingers last season,” writes one source, “Hunt moved up and did a nice job. Didn’t get cute and went to the net for players like (Artemi) Panarin to find him.”
The Leafs expect Hunt to touch down Tuesday and be available for Wednesday’s practice ahead of Thursday’s matinee versus the Philadelphia Flyers.
“It’s just a different type of player,” Keefe said of the trade.
“We’re just trying to change up the depth of our team a little bit here.”
This is a depth move that could give Toronto’s fourth line some bite and flexibility.
But, like Malgin, Hunt doesn’t fill the top-six vacancy.
That move should still be coming. It will just need to wait until after the holidays.
One-Timers: Calle Järnkrok returned to practice Monday for the first time since suffering a groin injury on Nov. 30. The winger is expected to jump back into action Tuesday, sliding into Malgin’s vacated second-line left wing spot…. Michael Bunting took a puck to the face at practice, but concern is low. “I haven’t seen him, but I heard him,” Keefe smiled. “He’s himself.”… Expect Toronto to stick with its five-forward PP1 despite going 0-for-2 with the aggressive look Saturday. “We’ll give this a shot,” Keefe said…. With both Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov coming off losses, Keefe declined to announce his starting goalie.
Maple Leafs projected lineup Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Bunting – Matthews – Nylander
Järnkrok – Tavares – Marner
Kerfoot – Kämpf – Engvall
Aston-Reese – Holmberg – Anderson
Giordano – Holl
Sandin – Liljegren
Brodie – Timmins
Murray
Samsonov
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