When Dominic Moore was signed on July 1st, it was considered a foregone conclusion by everyone that he would be handling the fourth line centre duties for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the start of the season. There was no real reason to think otherwise; the team could have stuck with Eric Fehr, who was forgotten about by the Entire Leafs Nation following the Frank Corrado trade at the deadline. They could have also waited on Frederik Gauthier to return from injury to step into that role; he looked good there last year. They chose instead to sign a proven veteran who proved relatively effective in that role over the past few years.
Then Miro Aaltonen happened.
The team had signed Aaltonen in March following a very productive KHL season that saw him post the most points by anyone 24 and under. Much like Moore, the masses assumed he would spend this season acquainting himself with North American hockey in the America Hockey League with the Marlies. He fared well during the rookie tournament and impressed coaches and spectators with his play during the first few days of training camp.
Everything changed following the first preseason game.
Moore, Fehr, and Aaltonen all played in that game. Moore, the 37 year-old veteran, was the victim of the new faceoff rules multiple times in that game. It was likely the first time his veteran wisdom worked against him. Fehr didn’t stand out in that game, but Aaltonen, the benefactor of playing alongside Connor Brown, looked excellent. He fit in alongside Brown and Matt Martin well, doing great work in the offensive zone and “hanging with the big boys”.
Immediately, fans (myself included) began raving about the play of Aaltonen, and how he was destined for that fourth line centre role this season. That was unthinkable just weeks ago!
The preseason has waged on and we’re no clearer on how this fourth line will look on Wednesday. Every possible situation has been dreamed up and all of them make valid claims. Each of these individuals can stake claim to that position.
At the end of the day though, does it really matter?
Let me start by saying that I’m not discrediting the value of the fourth line centre; far from it really. the value of a change-of-pace line that can handle some tough minutes and give the stars a rest can’t be understated.
What I am saying is that, as I’ve said before, for the first time in years the Toronto Maple Leafs have a competitive team with exorbitant amounts of depth at their disposal. The team clearly has REAL options, not just made-up options to create stories during camp. It’s not like using Aaltonen over Moore or Fehr on any given night is going to represent a decrease in talent, nor will it be an advantage.
I think at this point, it comes down to who clicks best with Martin and Brown, the presumptuous wingers on that fourth line. So far, it appears as though that player has been Aaltonen. He’s been spending the most time with those two and has been developing that chemistry.
That’s not to say though that Moore and Fehr can’t, or won’t, also develop that same chemistry. There’s 82 games in a season, and a fourth line centre that plays 10-12 minutes a night isn’t going to be the difference between a playoff berth or a lottery pick. Mike Babcock will likely experiment for the first few games of the season when everyone is at top speed and see if anyone really meshes well.
Once again, the Toronto Maple Leafs have a beautiful problem that most teams would want to have. As a fan, I couldn’t be more excited that this is our biggest problem heading into this season. Let’s all take a collective deep breath and remind ourselves of that before we go bananas this weekend, because one of these three will be sent down to the minors before the beginning of the season. Whether you think that should be Aaltonen, Moore, or Fehr, it doesn’t matter. The Leafs are still going to be legitimate contenders, and the fourth line will still be very effective.
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