Can Alex Steeves make a last-minute push for a post-deadline roster spot with the Leafs?

Let’s not let Steeves’ impressive two-game run with the Leafs here take away from their glaring need for a third-line centre. He’s shown some serious potential, but ultimately, the Leafs will have a forward depth issue for the rest of the season if they’re running either Max Domi or Pontus Holmberg on the third line. What he does have the potential to do is allow them to focus the remainder of their assets on a defenceman, ideally somebody sturdy to play alongside Morgan Rielly to push Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the third pair. This team will need, at minimum, two acquisitions to address the most glaring holes in their lineup, but if the intention is to move money around and make a legitimate upgrade, Steeves comes at a cheap enough price that he could probably provide some secondary scoring with proper linemates.

The obvious risk that comes with this direction is that Steeves hasn’t played a significant amount of NHL games at once. His six games played at this point of the season are the most he’s played in an NHL season in his career, so giving him a roster spot under the assumption that he’ll produce the way you want a bottom-six forward on a contending team to do has the potential to blow up in their faces. But, at this point, is Steeves going to bring less than what players like Domi, Robertson, and Holmberg have provided this season? Perhaps the criticism of those three is a little bit badly timed, considering Holmberg’s three goals in his past two games and the fact that Domi and Robertson each notched two points in Sunday’s win over the Chicago Blackhawks, but on a grander scale in 2024-25, those guys haven’t brought enough to the table offensively to ensure them a job in the Game 1 lineup.

If nothing else, I think it’s safe to say at this point that if Steeves survives the trade deadline, he’s done more than enough to warrant strong consideration for a roster spot next season. He’s proven four years in a row now that he has what it takes to produce consistently in the pros, and even though he hasn’t gotten the ice time to reflect it, he’s confident in his abilities to be a goal-scorer at the NHL level. Not just an everyday player, a goal-scorer.

“I mean, I think anytime anyone gets called up, you just want to make an impact,” Steeves said following Saturday night’s game. “Goals are nice, and it’s my first. I am a goal scorer, and I know that. And I know I can be a goal scorer at this level, so, you know, just proved that with a nice one tonight.”

The Leafs may not be the ones to give Steeves a proper cup of coffee in the league instead of just an espresso shot, but as a rookie, the two things you can control outside of your skill level are the no-quit mentality as well as belief in yourself. He has both, and with five games remaining before the trade deadline, expect to see his play ramp up as he makes a final case for the Leafs to include him in their future plans.