If the Leafs have gone all-in on something it seems to be second chances. The trend started last year with the return of Luke Schenn. It continued last week with return of Ilya Lyubushkin. And now today on TSN’s Overdrive show, Chris Johnston suggested that Zach Bogosian might be the next former Leaf that could be on his way back to Toronto.
It probably makes sense to start with some context to Chris Johnston mentioning that. As it sits right now the plan seems to be that the Minnesota Wild will try to re-sign Zach Bogosian and if something can’t get done, only then would Bogosian be on the move. What we already know about Bogosian is that he wants to be in the states, so if he is potentially returning to Toronto it would be a short trip back. As Bogosian’s career nears a close there might be fewer options and less of an opportunity to pick and choose where he plays but I’d also wager the Leafs aren’t looking for a long term relationship anyway. As Chris Johnston mentions in the radio hit, Bogosian would be a depth move that would be acknowledging that no blueline stays completely healthy on a long playoff run and having another big body to come in and make life tougher on the opposition isn’t a bad thing, it’s just not the fix what primarily ails the Leafs defensive woes.
As for Bogosian’s play this season, he’s seen his ice time increase to an average of over 17 minutes a night for the first time since 2018-19. This is equally parts damning of the state of the Wild’s defence with the season ending injury to Jared Spurgeon, but also a sign that Bogosian does have something to give.
Bogosian’s hit totals aren’t overly high this year but given that Leafs fans are familiar with his work, it is pretty well established there will be an increase in the playoffs and Bogosian makes his presence equally felt through battles in front of the net and the corners as well.
If we are trying to wrap things up into a neat little summary, Zach Bogosian has had better results this year than the newly acquired Ilya Lyubushkin, although the Wild haven’t been the tire fire the Ducks have been and Bogosian has been playing with more established and capable defensive partners. Bogosian has mainly played with Alex Goligoski but has seen significant time with Jonas Brodin as well. (During his time in Toronto, Bogosian primarily played with Travis Dermott.)
Like Lyubushkin, Bogosian isn’t someone who would move the bar but if it’s Friday afternoon and the Leafs have come up short on other attempts and the Wild haven’t been able to get Bogosian signed, the Leafs might as well gamble a 5th pick on Zach and his playoff experience. At a $850k cap hit, it’s an easy fit.
Data from Evolving Hockey and Capfriendly
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