. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Shawn Matthias – Toronto Maple Leafs
Matthias falls in line with Michael Grabner as a name added to a Toronto Maple Leafs’ group looking to fill voids until their youth is ready. That means he’s likely going to be dangled as trade bait in order to acquire picks and prospects later this season.
Matthias is sneakily productive but also somewhat inconsistent. An example of his streakiness is last season, in which he recorded 18 goals but 12 of them were scored in November and February. So, he only recorded 6 goals throughout the other five months of 2014-15. From an analytics standpoint, he’s boasts exactly what you want out of a bottom-six forward and would fit a fourth line role for a contender very nicely.
I viewed Matthias as someone the Pittsburgh Penguins would target this summer but Rutherford obviously had other plans. Similar to others mentioned previously, he isn’t someone the Pens could use at this point. But, considering their track record with injuries, he may be someone they look to down the stretch if their bottom-six isn’t fully healthy.
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