Leafs Scratch Controversial Forward Ahead of Matchup with Flyers

Coming off a very miserable 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Saturday night, the Maple Leafs head home for a quick pit stop before heading back on the road. They take on the middling Philadelphia Flyers in what is a crucial game that will play heavily into their Atlantic Division standing.

They need to get something going with their bottom half, and while Scott Laughton earned a promotion in his first game against his former club, it seems like one often criticized forward has found himself scratched.

During the Maple Leafs optional practice, Pontus Holmberg was the one skating, a sign that he's getting in some extra reps because he's not going to be in the lineup on Tuesday.

This means that defensive forward David Kampf will get the call to anchor the fourth line with Calle Jarnkrok and Steven Lorentz, a sign that Craig Berube wants to go a more defensive route as opposed to trying to gain offense through Holmberg.

Giving up five goals to the worst scoring team in the NHL is not a good look, and clearly there needed to be some tightening up with regard to their defense after that dismal performance.

Holmberg has been a polarizing figure since coming into the team in 2022. Expected to be a two-way contributor who can give you 15 goals and solid defensive metrics, he's been anything but.

45 points in 149 career games is pretty rough, and while he has been scratched a bunch in his lifetime, he's just never bringing the punch when Toronto needs it most.

His defense has taken a hit, he's being too careless and taking too many penalties (though he does draw his fair share) but the biggest factor is his inability to keep opponents away from shooting the puck. He looks lost at times, and his positioning seems to be slacking at the worst possible moment.

Last year in 54 games he had a total of 97 total shots attempted while he was on the ice, scoring seven goals for a shooting percentage of 13%. It's a huge drop from his first season, and that number has steadily dropped.

At this rate, he'll be at under 5% shooting percentage two years from now; that's Ryan Reaves level of offense.

If Toronto gets their defense in check and shuts the Flyers down and holds them to a goal, or perhaps they get really lucky and get a shutout, then it means that sticking with this lineup for now should yield positive results.

If not, it'll be Holmberg back in, someone else out, and we're back to the drawing board with way less time to find a solution.