Former Toronto Maple Leafs forward Alex Steeves is showing them exactly why you don't give up on players so early as he thrives with their heated rivals.
This past offseason, the Toronto Maple Leafs made the decision to not bring back long-time forward Alex Steeves after four seasons with the organization. He never really got a true shot with the NHL squad, spending most of his time with the Marlies.
However, he is the Marlies all-time leading scorer with 216 points in 247 games (105 goals, 111 assists) and was a staple of their lineup who always seemed ready to break out but never got the call-up at the right time.
So with him being excluded from the team's future plans, that led the Maple Leafs' heated rivals, Boston, to scoop him up.
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Although he was only signed to a one-year deal, it felt like perhaps Steeves was going to make the Maple Leafs pay for letting him go.
Alex Steeves proving Maple Leafs wrong in Beantown
Well he certainly has, as since he's been a steady part of the Bruins lineup, he's shown exactly why he in the Marlies all-time scorer:
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Yeah, Steeves has seven goals through 17 games with the Bruins, which would tie him with Matthew Knies, albeit Knies has done it in 11 more games. He's also added two assists, seven PIM and a whopping 64 hits already in only 13:00 TOI.
Combine that with Fraser Minten's emergence as a true NHL everyday player and you have yet more Bruins success stories courtesy of a former Maple Leafs prospect.
Toronto failed Alex Steeves, and they're paying for it
It's a continued trend where Toronto seems to get fleeced by the Bruins in one way or another. The Tuukka Rask deal still haunts fans to this day, Minten is a burgeoning star, and Steeves is showcasing the exact type of skillset that Craig Berube loves and honestly, needs.
Ironically, he made his Boston debut against the Maple Leafs and scored that same night; just punctuating their mistake.
Toronto acquired Matias Maccelli this offseason and have sat him for the last eight games. He's not a fit, and the team wasted a pick on the hopes he could turn it around when they could have extended Steeves and given him a serious look.
Toronto should probably stop trading with Boston right now to avoid any more future headaches, but they're completely at fault and need to take responsibility for making a genuine mistake.
They had Steeves for four years lighting it up for the Marlies and never gave him a shot. He had 14 games with Toronto at the NHL level in those seasons; he has 17 with Boston just this year.
Amidst all the bad signings, lucrative contracts, and desperate calls for scoring, physicality, or both -- there was always someone waiting to make an impact.
It was Alex Steeves. While it was unfair he never got a fair shake in Toronto, he's getting his flowers in Boston and frankly, they are long overdue.