It’s early but the Steven Lorentz addition is looking pretty good so far for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But honestly, how did no one sign this guy this summer?
In short order, the 28-year-old has become one of Craig Berube’s most trusted forwards. He played 15:07 in Thursday night’s 4-2 win in New Jersey, and most importantly, he was on the ice late in the game with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner to try and solidify the victory.
Not too shabby for a guy making $775,000 this season, right?
The one thing about Lorentz that has really stood out for me is how simplistic his game is. He works hard, skates fast, and plays with bite. In other words, at least on paper, he checks a lot of boxes for Berube. Remember all the talk about playing a north-south game? Yeah, that’s Lorentz’s game to a tee. After all, you would have to think that the Leafs had a pretty good idea of what they were getting when they offered the Kitchener native a PTO before camp for underway. Suffice it is to say, he’s delivered in a big way thus far.
In many ways, he’s also brought a little character and identity to what’s been a very static fourth line for Toronto for quite some time now. In general, through two outings, the bottom six has looked solid. Long term, if Berube can continue to get that kind of consistency from his third and fourth line, I think it could do wonders for the team moving forward.
For many years now, the Maple Leafs’ lineup has lacked considerable length and depth. Yes, the sample size is small, but indisputably, it should be viewed as a positive development to see guys like Lorentz step up early on.
Needless to say, the Leafs are a different team when they’re getting secondary scoring, regardless of where it’s coming from. Most importantly, when others are contributing, it takes some much-needed stress off the shoulders of the big boys.
Any way you slice it, Steven Lorentz is well on his way to becoming a fan favourite in Toronto.
