The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off a commanding 5–1 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night. It was the fourth game in a row where the Leafs scored on their first shot.
Before this road trip, the Leafs were near the bottom of the league in every stat imaginable. Wednesday’s win marks their fourth win in the last five games, and now they sit three points out of a playoff spot.
One of the big reasons for this recent turnaround has been their bottom lines. The Leafs’ bottom-six has undergone more changes in the last decade than an NHL player changing their stick during a game. They’re producing offensively, which has been a rarity in the Matthews era.
Let’s take a look at the recent changes to the bottom six.
Players who have something to prove
Recently, Craig Berube has run with a third line of Dakota Joshua, Nicolas Roy, and Bobby McMann. And it seems to have found its groove. The line is hard to play against. All three players don’t mind laying the body, especially Joshua. McMann also brings a lot of skill to this line. Last season, McMann scored 20 goals and 14 assists for 34 points. The season before last year, he scored 15 goals and nine assists for 24 points.
However, McMann did not meet expectations last season. He only scored 10 more points playing 18 more games. He also largely played second-line minutes last season. Given that McMann is in a contract year this season, he is motivated to prove he is worth a bigger contract.
Joshua is also motivated to show that he can play at a high level. Joshua missed a large part of last season due to cancer. When he returned, he later suffered a leg injury that further sidelined him. He finished the season with seven goals, seven assists for 14 points in 57 games. In the 2023–24 season, Joshua scored 18 goals, 14 assists for 32 points.
But it’s his playoff performance that season which makes him enticing. In 13 playoff games, he scored four goals and four assists for eight points. For context, he has the same amount of playoff goals as Auston Matthews has in the last two seasons, in five fewer games. Not sure if this says more about Matthews, but it is a very good production out of a third-line player.
Roy is on pace to finish the season with six goals and 21 assists for 27 points. This is close to his previous season with the Vegas Golden Knights, when he scored 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points. However, no doubt the Leafs would like Roy to get closer to the 15-goal mark.
The 2025–26 season
Things have not gone the way for the Leafs this season. Outside of all the injuries, the team has not looked good defensively, and the perennial power play hasn’t been good. We all knew that the departure of Mitch Marner would mean there would be less star power on the team. But the idea was that there would finally be salary dollars to spend on a decent bottom-six.
Up until the road trip, the Leafs needed more out of McMann and Joshua. And to a degree, Roy. But Roy has been effective as a penalty killer. On paper, it makes sense that this line would work. Roy is good in the face-off dot and is an excellent passer. McMann and Joshua play a heavier game, with McMann having a bit more offensive flair. Over the last few games, the third line has looked good defensively and has maintained possession in the offensive zone. Something the Leafs have lacked throughout their lineup.
Having a third line that is dangerous offensively is paramount to any kind of success. Look at the recent cup winners, especially the Florida Panthers. Having a third line that can score wins you games. It wins you championships. Let’s look at the third line production over the last six-game road trip.
Table 1. Table showing goals, assists, and points for the Leafs’ third line over the last six games.
| Player | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Joshua | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Nicolas Roy | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Bobby McMann | 3 | 3 | 6 |
It’s worth mentioning that neither Roy nor Joshua played the full six games due to injuries, which makes their production even more impressive. It’s also worth mentioning that this line has just started to click offensively over the last three games. So it is a very small sample size.
Time will tell
Joshua, Roy, and McMann so far this season have had good games individually and games where they have been invisible. With only a few positives to start the year, such as John Tavares turning back time, the Leafs overall look like a shell of their former selves.
However, as a newly minted third line, they have been playing some of the best hockey we have seen from any Leafs’ line this season. Are we at the precipice of the Leafs finally getting sustained secondary scoring? In this economy?
Time will tell. But it is nice to have some positivity in Leafs’ land.
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