The kids are alright: Maple Leafs youth impressive despite loss to Senators

Playing out the stretch, the most intriguing part of watching the Toronto Maple Leafs is gauging the progress of their prospects.

The Leafs youth movement began in earnest following the trade deadline as Zach Hyman, Kasperi Kapanen, William Nylander and Nikita Soshnikov all made their NHL debuts against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 29.

Saturday, Nylander and Soshnikov were in the spotlight, providing the offense for the Maple Leafs in a 3-2 loss to the Senators.

Nylander tied the game at 1 midway through the first period with his first NHL goal.  He celebrated with youthful exuberance, pumping his fist before banging the glass.  After the loss, he was much more subdued.

“I was just happy we got the tie there,” Nylander said.  "It was nice, but too bad we couldn’t end up winning too.”

The scoring play resulted from Brooks Laich wining a faceoff to the right of Senators goalie Andrew Hammond, Nylander retrieved the puck and cruised around the top of the circle before unleashing a wicked wrist shot into the top left corner.

“It was a great draw from Laicher and I was able to go in and put it in blocker side,” he said.  “I got a lot of time there so it was nice.”

Interestingly, Laich assisted on William’s father Michael’s final NHL goal on April 5. 2009, when they were both members of the Washington Capitals.  Michael played in 920 NHL games, recording 679 points over 16 seasons beginning in 1992-93.

“I don’t know if that places me in the category of a cousin or an uncle, it gets me somewhere in there,” Laich joked. “His dad was a special player too, you see a lot of the similarities, the puck possession, the cerebral game, he is going to be a great player in this league. I’m really excited for him to get his first goal.”

Laich, in this thirteenth season, was asked if the coincidence spoke to his longevity in the league.

“I don’t know about that or his dad had a kid really early," he replied with a laugh. "Also, William making the NHL at 19 helps me too,”

Nylander was drafted eighth overall in 2014 and had racked up 18 goals and 27 assists in 45 games with the AHL Toronto Marlies this season.

His 15:43 ice time was spent primarily on a line with fellow greenhorns Hyman and Kapanen.

Before netting his first goal the speedy forward had seven shots and a few good chances over his first three games.

“For Willy (Nylander), it’s got to be relief,” head coach Mike Babcock. “He’s got a lot of work to do but obviously he’s got a skillset, so that’s positive.

Following their performance in the Maple Leafs 3-2 loss against Washington on Wednesday, Nylander and Kapanen incurred Babcock’s ire for their play without the puck and overall competiveness.

It was also in that game where Soshnikov turned heads with a laser shot for his first career NHL goal.

On Saturday, the 22-year-old Russian showed off his offensive prowess for the home fans on a similar scoring play.

Soshnikov, A left handed shot, skated down the right side of the ice in the offensive zone and used veteran defenseman Marc Methot as a screen, wiring the puck through his legs and over Hammond.  Just like Nylander, he celebrated with fervour.

His truculence and pugnacity has impressed head coach Mike Babcock thus far.

“I loved him,” said Babcock on Thursday morning after the loss to the Caps.  “I thought he was great, if you play hard and you got a skill set and you’re determined like that and you have no fear, you find a way to play all the time.”

After playing last season in the KHL for Atlant Moscow Oblast, Soshnikov signed a three-year entry level contract with the Maple Leafs last March.

"What really impresses me about his game is that everyone sees that he can shoot the puck and he can skate but Sosh(nikov) finishes his checks and he is hard on the forecheck." Laich said.

Soshnikov led the team with 6 shots and 5 hits in 19:01 ice time

While a language barrier prevents him from articulating himself at this point, he expressed an increasing sense of self-assuredness in the NHL.

“I felt confident after (my) first two shifts against Tampa Bay and continue to feel comfortable,” he said.

Defenceman Jake Gardiner marveled at the manner in which the two rookies lit the lamp.

“The way all these young guys shoot the puck now it’s crazy,” Gardiner said.  “It’s fun to see and I’m excited for the future.”

The last place Maple Leafs have lost 12 of their past 14 games and six of the past seven have been decided by one goal. Babcock drew some encouragment from the play of his youngsters.

“I thought Hyman, Soshnikov and Nylander were all real good for us.” he said.  “We seem to be getting some traction which is really good.  Our team pace was as good as its been all year just because we are quicker now, which is positive”

Follow Neil Acharya on Twitter: @Neil_Acharya