The Maple Leafs have claimed forward Richard Panik off of waivers from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
The 23-year-old native of Slovakia has not been a big scorer at the NHL level, with eight goals and 14 assists in 75 career games, but gives the Leafs some size on the wing and an option on the right side to fourth liner Matt Frattin, who followed up a sub-par training camp and with a ghost-like performance in the 4-3 loss to Montreal on Wednesday.
Frattin played 9:24 in the season opener, playing with center Peter Holland and winger Daniel Winnik, which was the lowest ice time of any Toronto skater.
With the addition of Panik, the Leafs have sent forward Josh Leivo and Troy Bodie to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL to clear roster and cap space.
Says NHL scout on new Leaf Panik: ``Great individual skill. No consistency.'' No question worth the gamble for a team like Toronto. Upside
— Pierre LeBrun (@Real_ESPNLeBrun) October 9, 2014The Canadiens top players were prominent, as last year’s leading scorer Max Pacioretty and former Norris Trophy winner PK Subban had goals and center Tomas Plekanec scored twice(including the game winner). The Leafs did not get that kind of effort from their top players, as James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel were a combined -6 on the night, captain Dion Phaneuf got caught flat footed on Pacioretty’s opening goal and goalie Jonathan Bernier was not in top form after looking sharp during the preseason.
Positives on the night were the performances on rookies Brandon Kozun and Stuart Percy, who registered their first NHL points assisting on Kadri and Bozak’s first period goals. Kozun’s speed advantage was noticeable and used effectively to create offensive chances, while Percy seemed unfazed by the pressure, deftly handling the puck and playing positionally sound in his first NHL game.
Head coach Randy Carlyle distributed the ice time of the defenseman more evenly, as Phaneuf played a team-high 23:31, Jake Gardiner, Morgan Rielly, Stephane Robidas and Percy played between 19 – 20 minutes and Roman Polak(who led the club with 7 hits) 17:34.
The most effective unit on the night was Mike Santorelli centering Leo Komarov and David Clarkson, which adeptly cycled the puck to create scoring opportunities. Komarov was effective as the Leafs primary penalty killer(2:29 ice time while shorthanded), while Clarkson played in front of the net on the second power play unit with Lupul and Kadri.
Conversely, the fourth line of Daniel Winnik, Peter Holland and Matt Frattin did not make much of an impression in about 10 minutes of ice time.
*******
Listen to my Thursday morning interview with former Leafs assistant GM Bill Watters, as we discuss the Leafs opening loss to Montreal and the outlook for the upcoming season.
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact… button at the top of the page.*******
For Those on Twitter: Follow @mikeinbuffalo
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information click here.