Depth becomes that much more important when the schedule gets constricted — not only straight roster depth with the ability to substitute tired or injured players, but scoring depth.

Sunday’s game offered a glaring juxtaposition in roster construction. The Maple Leafs have been at or near the top of the Atlantic Division standings for years, but famously unable to take the final steps toward achieving the ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup. The Canes, of course, have gone from also-ran to feel-good resurrection story to perennial contender in the past 10 years, and are hoping their latest roster moves will be the key to achieving what the Leafs have been unable to.

The Leafs’ roster boasts three of the top-20 point scoring forwards in the NHL — Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner. Nylander and Matthews are 7-8 in points, with Marner at No. 20. Matthews’ 58 goals are far and away the best in the league.

But the Leafs also pay for it — literally. They have nearly $30 million tied up this season in those three players alone. Add in John Tavares for $11 million more, and that’s a shade under half of the team’s full salary cap on four players. Two of them — Matthews and Nylander — are contracted to get raises next season.

Those four players also account for 316 of the team’s 672 points this season, 47% of the Maple Leafs’ total.

The Hurricanes have … one person in the top 20 in NHL scoring — Aho, who with his hat trick against Washington on Friday and his goal Sunday reached 31 goals and 80 points for the season. But the Canes also don’t pay Aho — or anyone on the roster — as much as the Maple Leafs pay each of their “big four,” choosing instead to spread the team’s cap wealth across the roster. That’s led to the team having 10 players with more than 30 points this season, six with 40 or more. Toronto has only seven above 30.

When the Hurricanes had to sit a few players a week ago with minor injuries — Teuvo Teravainen, Jack Drury and Jesper Fast missing time — they didn’t miss a beat, despite the hectic schedule. With the additions of Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov at the trade deadline, an injury of significance to one of the top 10 scoring skaters on the Canes’ roster, while still detrimental, would be easier to absorb.

In Toronto, it could be — and has been — more disruptive. Sunday, Marner missed another game — his seventh recovering from a high ankle sprain suffered March 7.

Andersen solid ... again

In his sixth start — his fifth at home — after missing more than 40 games while dealing with a blood-clotting issue, Andersen again showed what he’s capable of when he’s healthy.

...continued

©2024 The News & Observer. Visit at newsobserver.com. Distributed at Tribune Content Agency, LLC.