The Maple Leafs need a puck-moving defenceman and they have one right under their nose
Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-IMAGN Images
Leading the AHL defenders in scoring, William Villeneuve has no doubt earned a shot with the Maple Leafs in 2026-27 and he gives them exactly what they need.
As the Toronto Marlies continue on through the Calder Cup Playoffs, they have a lot of names to thank for their ability to get past both Rochester and Laval, as they take on the Cleveland Monsters with everything on the line.
Logan Shaw, Vinni Lettieri, Easton Cowan and Artur Akhtyamov are all key pieces of the lineup that is contributing on a nightly basis, but there's one name who deserves a lot more attention - and an NHL lineup spot.
William Villeneuve's AHL dominance should no doubt give him an NHL job next year
William Villeneuve's name has been one that's been thrown around as a potential solution for Toronto's puck-movement woes on the backend and the fact that he's leading all AHL defencemen in scoring is a testament to just how good he's been.
In eight games, Villeneuve has eight points (1 goal, 7 assists) while adding a plus-2 and eight PIM this postseason, providing both and offensive and defensive spark for the Marlies.
Head coach John Gruden had nothing but praise for Villeneuve, who had a short stint with the Maple Leafs towards the end of the season; and believes he could be ready for the next step:
There's that 'Oh crap' moment where you can see a guy really grow ... He got a taste of it & he's bringing it down here & he's running with it.
Although he was held pointless, Villeneuve did skate in three games and was a plus-1 while averaging 17:20 TOI and having five blocks and although it's a small sample size; opponents didn't score with him on the ice.
Run with it he has, as Villeneuve has no doubt been the catalyst for Toronto and their ever-impressive power-play where they are 8-for-37 this postseason (21.6%); good for 6th.
Why William Villeneuve is the solution to the Maple Leafs' puck-movement problems
We've all heard about what Villeneuve can do but let's actually take a look at what he's done over the past few seasons.
He has 120 points in 226 games (20 goals, 108 assists) with a plus-27 and 181 PIM. He's not afraid to get in the middle of things, but where his effectiveness truly lies is his ability to find the open man:
Villeneuve has a knack for cycling through the zone and utilizing the quick set-play switch-ups to make sure he finds the right guy. For example, his pass to Vinni Lettieri earlier this postseason:
He calmly takes the puck at the top of the zone, waits until the defender decides to creep in to cut off his angle, and then it's a lightning tape-to-tape pass for a goal. It was something you see from the Capitals on their power-play with John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin; it's insane chemistry.
With the team really lacking any true puck-movers beyond Morgan Rielly and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, they need a young upstart to helpers the burden. With Rielly potentially out of town, they are down even more help on the blueline - so just give Villeneuve a chance.
He is an RFA so getting him locked down is a goal for John Chayka, but just giving him a three-year deal for $3-million is more than enough to see what he can offer and cheap enough to trade if he doesn't fit in.
All in all, the Toronto Marlies are having one fantastic run in the Calder Cup Playoffs and it's due in part to how well William Villeneuve has been.
From the looks of it too, he's just getting started.
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