Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
When he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer, few thought much of the signing of Jay McClement. After all, with so many marquee forwards, how much of an impact could a guy that signed a two-year, $3 million deal actually make with the Maple Leafs?
While he’s obviously been overshadowed by those bigger names, McClement has had a very fine season for the Maple Leafs. He really hasn’t been outstanding on the stat sheet, but he was brought in to fill a very specific role. It’s one that he has filled brilliantly for Toronto.
McClement has managed to make an impact in ways other than putting up points. His point total is actually better than expected, though. He has 17 on the year, which would put him right on track with his career high if this were a full season. It’s pretty much an even split, with eight goals and nine assists on the year.
But, of course, McClement wasn’t brought in to make a different in the box score. He was brought in to be a depth forward, win faceoffs, and kill penalties. He’s done each of those and it is part of the reason that the Maple Leafs were able to reach the postseason for the first time in almost a decade.
No player on the Maple Leafs spends more time on the ice shorthanded than McClement, and it really isn’t even close. He’s averaged 3:37 of ice time on the penalty kill per game this year. The Maple Leafs have the third best penalty kill in the league. Not a coincidence by any means.
McClement has also won 51 percent of his draws this year, while adding just a bit of physicality to the mix. He’s done pretty much everything asked of him with Toronto this season. Don’t overlook him as a large reason as to why they’ve been so successful this season.
