Toronto Maple Leafs claim Ben Smith, place Michalek on waivers
The Toronto Maple Leafs have made a couple moves today, claiming forward Ben Smith from Colorado and waiving Milan Michalek.
The move to waive Michalek should have been done before the season started, but it’s better late than never for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In picking up Smith they get a player they know a little about.
Unfortunately, that’s not a good thing. It begs the question, though: what is the plan here?
By removing Michalek from the fold it paves the way for Connor Brown to get the line he deserves to get, as we talked about yesterday.
This is a positive move for the Leafs, even if it means Ben Smith is somehow going to play for the team. Brown needs a better line because it’s a waste of his time to play where he was originally.
The Smith claim is a still a little confusing, all positives from Michalek being demoted aside, simply because he’s just not that great at hockey when it comes to the NHL level.
He’s a replacement player, coming to a team with younger players who are more capable than he is – and he’s struggling even more through the first few games this year than he did last year.
At 5v5 Smith has a -23.63% CF and the Avalanche allow more shot attempts when he’s on the ice versus when he’s off. From an individual standpoint at 5v5 he’s got zeroes across the board for points, too. Now, it’s only a few games but we aren’t looking at a player with much upside here based on history.
The best case scenario is that Smith also gets waived in the near future and the Leafs keep moving towards an optimal lineup. Getting Connor Brown moved up and Michalek demoted was a start.
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