Fraser Minten has arrived.
The Toronto Maple Leafs’ 2022 second-round pick has overcome a high-ankle sprain that kept him out of training camp and eliminated any chance he had at impressing new head coach Craig Berube. Minten didn’t let missing training camp hurt his start to the season, as he’s parlayed a strong start with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, to an eventual call-up to the Leafs, thanks to a slew of injuries, and now he’s been given his chance and he’s running with it.
Minten scored his second goal of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, his fourth point in just his fifth game, however, it’s becoming quite obvious getting on the scoresheet is not what Berube is going to love about his game. Minten spoke with Amazon’s Andi Petrillo after the game and mentioned what his head coach is looking for in his game.
“It’s nice to be contributing to wins.”
Fraser Minten joins Andi Petrillo after Toronto’s 4-1 win over Chicago where he added a goal 👏 #NHLonPrime pic.twitter.com/AYJUIIw7m9
— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) December 3, 2024
Minten has a knack for being in the right spot at the right time. Frankly, he’s a coach’s dream with his playing style. The 20-year-old understands his strengths and he’s able to lean on his smarts, high hockey IQ, quick stick, and even faster instincts to ensure he’s on the right side of the puck, the right side of his opponents, and in a position to capitalize quickly shifting from defence to offence.
Minten spoke with The Leafs Nation’s Nick Alberga and reporters after the Maple Leafs’ 4-1 victory vs. the Blackhawks and it isn’t too hard to tell how much he focuses on his complete game over lighting up the scoresheet. “Yeah, it’s nice to have some go in and contribute to some goals, but I’m just sticking to the same process whether they’re going in or they’re not,” stated Minten.
When asked about his current chemistry with his linemates, Minten is enjoying currently playing alongside Nick Robertson and Steven Lorentz. “It’s been good, they’re really good players. They’re fast, they check hard, so they make it easy, they play simple hockey”. Simple hockey is what’s going to keep Minten in the NHL.
The Maple Leafs are without several regulars up front and it’s become a blessing in disguise for a prospect like Minten, who has been given the keys perhaps a little bit earlier than management wanted, but certain things you can’t control. Minten’s shown he’s strong enough, he’s aggressive enough, landing 12 hits in five games, and sure, his faceoff percentage (currently 45.7%) will need to improve, but the good news is he has Auston Matthews and John Tavares to learn from in practice, so that’s not going to take long to master.
Minten’s arrival gives GM Brad Treliving trade options
There’s been a lot of recent trade chatter around the Maple Leafs as Jeff Marek mentioned he feels the Toronto will inquire about Calgary Flames’ centre Nazem Kadri. But, if Minten can prove before March’s trade deadline that he’s more than capable of creating a role for himself as the Maple Leafs’ third-line centre, Treliving won’t have to focus on landing another centre and could shift his trade priorities onto the wing and the blue line.
Having Minten as a catalyst for the shut-down role would give Toronto a chance to move David Kampf to the fourth line, where he’s much better suited. It also gives Treliving a chance to focus on finding an experienced bottom-six winger to play alongside him and shift everyone down a notch. If Minten sticks around for the rest of the NHL season, there’s a very good chance Robertson and Lorentz aren’t his linemates come Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. To me, Treliving doesn’t need to add another expensive centre when Minten’s developing on the fly, right in front of his face.
Another option is having Treliving look at adding another blueliner and perhaps defenceman Simon Benoit becomes the odd man out. The Leafs GM could prioritize an experienced defenceman with a more stable two-way game, and someone who can help out on both sides of the Maple Leafs’ specialty teams.
Regardless of how Treliving handles the roster before the trade deadline, Minten has quickly shown he belongs. Without a 2025 first-round pick, Treliving shouldn’t be dangling the Vancouver, BC native in any trade talks. Minten’s game is perfectly suited for becoming the ideal defensive-first compliment to Matthews and Tavares down the middle in Toronto, and with Matthews locked into his extension, and Tavares likely getting one before July 1, this is a trio who could be playing together for years to come.
Minten has arrived, and it’s starting to feel like he’s here to stay.
