At least on paper, one of the more criticized areas of the Toronto Maple Leafs roster has been their blueline. For many, upgrading the unit was even the foremost priority this offseason. Although bigger veteran additions have taken the spotlight in GM Brad Treliving’s attempt to rectify the Leafs defence core, there have been some interesting depth manoeuvres that could pay huge dividends in the immediate future. Among some of the intriguing options is 27-year-old right shot Philippe Myers. Let’s take a look at Myers to see how he might fit in with the Leafs next season.
Stats
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | 46 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 2014–15 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | 60 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| 2015–16 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 🏆 | QMJHL | 63 | 17 | 28 | 45 |
| 2016–17 | Rouyn-Noranda Huskies | QMJHL | 34 | 10 | 25 | 35 |
| 2017–18 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 50 | 5 | 16 | 21 |
| 2018–19 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 53 | 9 | 24 | 33 |
| 2018–19 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 21 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2019–20 | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | AHL | 6 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 2019–20 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 50 | 4 | 12 | 16 |
| 2020–21 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 44 | 1 | 10 | 11 |
| 2021–22 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 27 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 2021–22 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 16 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| 2022–23 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2022–23 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 52 | 8 | 21 | 29 |
| 2023–24 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023–24 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 61 | 4 | 19 | 23 |
History
Famously, Myers went undrafted out of the QMJHL. Still, Myers quickly made a name for himself, featuring prominently for Team Canada at the U20 World Juniors. Myers was a standout, in part because of his 6’6″ frame, but also because of his strong skating skills and capable puck handling.
Signed by the Philadelphia Flyers, Myers quickly became one of their better defence prospects. He would spend the better part of two seasons in the AHL before making his NHL debut in 2018–19. Myers’ best season would come in 2019–20, where he featured heavily for the Flyers during a spirited run during the bubble playoffs. At 23 years old, Myers seemed to be on the brink of becoming a core piece for the Flyers.
Unfortunately, things did not go smoothly for Myers or the Flyers from that point. It was not long until Myers was flipped to the Nashville Predators in what was essentially a cap move, finishing the 2021–22 season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies. Myers was not affiliated with the Leafs at that point, but surely his play and personality left a positive impression on the organization.
The past two seasons Myers has been with the Tampa Bay Lightning, or more so with their AHL affiliate the Syracuse Crunch. Myers was an integral part of a strong defensive team with the Crunch and earned a call-up for parts of both seasons when the Lightning ran into injury trouble. While some might take this to mean that Myers’ time as an NHL regular is over, it should be noted that the Lightning clearly have a preference for big right-shot defencemen, and have a number of other options in this mould. Will Myers have an easier time finding his way into a Leafs lineup that is more in need of his skill set?
Profile
Since signing with the Flyers as an undrafted free agent, Myers’ positives have been fairly evident. His size and skating ability give him the tools to defend against any opponent. In tandem, this makes Myers an effective player, able to manage and close gaps with his skating just as he has the physical strength to defend the cycle.
What has improved for Myers over the years is his defensive reads, as most of his past issues have revolved around not applying his attributes to their fullest. Myers is able to skate with the puck, and has some degree of puck handling skills, but Myers should and will not be an offensive option at the NHL level.
Any bid for Mayers to appear in games for the Leafs will rely heavily on this defensive orientation. Though most of his time with the Lightning organization was spent in the AHL, he has become quite sound in this aspect, anchoring the AHL team’s defensive structure at even strength and on the penalty kill. He has had some peaks and valleys throughout his career, but it is possible that he has found some stability after being bought out.
Fit
As a defensive right shot, Myers fits a need the Leafs have failed to fill during the Auston Matthews era. Naturally, Chris Tanev is expected to be a significant part of the answer here, but as GM Brad Treliving looks to revamp the blueline, and new coach Craig Berube looks to make his mark, those paradigms could be challenged. Whether or not Jani Hakanpaa is signed to the team remains unclear, his ability to ever play for the Leafs even more in question, but it shows that the Leafs are open to another penalty killing right shot defenceman on the roster.
In other words, this might be a perfect storm for Myers to take hold of the opportunity before him. The Leafs employ several left-shot defencemen who could handle the primary puck-moving duties on a pairing, which is ideal to keep some pressure off of Myers. After Simon Benoit barged his way into the lineup last season, there is at least as much of a possibility that Myers will do the same this season. Myers is a better skater, a better puck handler, and a much-needed right shot.
Leaf fans have lamented some right-shot penalty killers in the past, especially those with elevated cap hits or acquired at a cost via trade. For now, Myers is extremely affordable, and could feasibly handle third pairing minutes alongside Oliver Ekman-Larsson or Jake McCabe. There is a smaller chance that Myers can even build some chemistry with Morgan Rielly, perhaps even to the extent that Ilya Lyubushkin has in the past.
That being said, Myers is still a bit of an outside shot at an opening night roster spot. There will be some competition, perhaps McCabe or Ekman-Larsson playing their weak side, as well as some interesting but less proven options in Nicolas Mattinen and Topi Niemela. Once again, we can see how Myers’ size, skating, handedness, and penalty killing ability might give him the inside edge on this depth.
At the very least, the Leafs have added a capable call-up option who can help the AHL Toronto Marlies defensively. With some intriguing young goalies working their way up the ranks, Myers should be a big help to Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov.
