Craig Berube Can Unlock Nicolas Roy's Full Potential With Proven Approach

After being acquired for Mitch Marner in the sign-and-trade that sent the Leafs star to Vegas, Nicolas Roy was not expected to be a direct replacement for Marner, more so a piece of compensation for completing the signing.

However, data reveals that using Roy as a Marner replacement could be beneficial and a potential working lineup move.

Information from 'Natural Stat Trick' reveals that Roy excels in the defensive end, having led Vegas in Defensive Zone Starts.

For Toronto, this would have been second, behind Mitch Marner.

The analytics show that Nicolas Roy produced well when paired alongside offensive talent. Roy succeeded in 2023-24 when paired alongside forwards Ivan Barbashev & Jonathan Marchessault, two offensively focused players.

Although it's quite easy to point to the fact that being on the top-six would naturally boost a player's statistical profile, Roy's overall totals took an increase while playing heavy minutes, not just in terms of point production.

Roy is a defensively responsible player who can play both as a center and a winger, which has been something the Leafs have valued in their forward group, as well as his ability to play in multiple situations and on multiple lines.

The value of Nicolas Roy could come in both the top-six and bottom-six, and that should excite the Toronto Maple Leafs.

At best, Roy's defensive IQ and energy would bring a level of compete to the Leafs top-six and replace Marner's ability to play defense while being more physical.

At the most, Roy could be a shutdown bottom-six forward who can play down the middle and kill penalties, making him a valuable lineup option.

What will be crucial is how much Roy can get his offense going.

Last season, Roy had a respectable 15 goals and 31 points in 71 games in the Golden Knights bottom-six.

The hope would be for Roy to potentially hit the 20-goal plateau, which would be his first time but a metric he was on pace for last season, along with 35-40 points being a respectable total, 40-50 being the best case scenario.

Next season will be necessary for the Toronto Maple Leafs to prove how far they can go as a team before they really begin to bulldoze the structural pillars of their current makeup, with Roy's presence an example of what's lost and what's now expected going into next season.