The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed forward Zach Aston-Reese to a professional tryout contract (PTO). Which begs the question, who is Zach Aston-Reese exactly? Unfortunately, some of you may remember him as the guy Tom Wilson laid an incredibly dirty hit on during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. Aston-Reese suffered a broken jaw as well as a concussion as a result of the hit. In terms of his playing career, he has been in the NHL since 2017/18. He spent five years with the Pittsburgh Penguins before being dealt to the Anaheim Ducks during this past season (2021/22). Aston-Reese has appeared in 230 NHL regular season games, scoring 32 goals and 34 assists for 66 points. Those numbers don’t exactly jump off the page at you, so why would the Leafs be interested in bringing him to training camp on a tryout? There are several reasons. He is an absolute thorn in the side of his opponents. He is a very good skater, and as a result, he can quickly get in on the forecheck to apply pressure to opposing teams’ defensemen. He also has a physical side to his game. He isn’t afraid to throw his weight around and will finish his check every time. I will be shocked if Aston-Reese doesn’t earn himself a contract with the Leafs before the end of training camp. If he does that, I see him slotting in on the 4th line. The 4th line with Aston-Reese on one wing and Nic Aube-Kubel on the other would not be fun for opposing teams to play against. At all.
It’s pretty evident that Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is building the bottom half of his forward lineup in a very particular way. He wants them to be fast, responsible defensively, and have a physical element to their game. This is a much-welcomed adjustment to the lineup for many Leafs fans.
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Can’t wait to see this guy make the roster!