By Alex Hobson
On Draft Day in 2014, the Leafs were not yet convinced that they needed to rebuild to make the playoffs, so they swung a deal with the St Louis Blues to add some toughness to their defensive core, dealing Carl Gunnarsson along with a fourth round pick in exchange for Roman Polak. The Leafs figured that if they wanted to make the playoffs, they would need someone like Polak to protect younger players and give their all heading into the postseason. Unfortunately, the Leafs didn't make it to the playoffs and later decided to rebuild, but that didn't stop Polak from making an impact on the Leafs defensive core. Let's take a quick look at what Polak brought to an otherwise young Leafs defensive core.
From the start of the year, Polak was paired with one of either Jake Gardiner or Morgan Rielly, both defensemen under the age of 25 with Rielly entering his second year as a professional. It was obvious what Polak was brought in to do, his job was to protect the younger members of the defense as well as throw the body and play a strict defensive game to make it easier for Rielly and Gardiner to rush the puck. Overall, if you want a word to describe Polak's antics on the ice, an appropriate word would be warrior. He'll do anything to help his team win, even if it involves making a sacrifice of his own. He blocks shots, makes big hits but usually does it in a safe way that intimidates the opposition, but avoids any penalization or suspension, and has the ability to chip in offensively every once in a while. He's the type of player that any contending team wants on their roster, and usually comes at a relatively cheap price.
STATUS: ON THE BLOCK
I know, I know, you're probably thinking "What? You just spent all this time praising him and now you're saying he's on the block?" but the reason for this is because he has one year left on his contract, and the Leafs could get a decent return from a contender for a player like Polak, as well as make room for younger defensemen such as Stuart Percy, T.J Brennan, and Scott Harrington to make some NHL appearences and earn some experience.
2015-16 ROLE: BOTTOM FOUR DEFENSEMAN
It's entirely likely that Polak plays alongside either Jake Gardiner or Martin Marincin. It's looking more and more like Morgan Rielly is ready to take that next step and play on the top pairing alongside of Dion Phaneuf (who could switch back to the right side) and Polak will likely be given the same role; to play alongside a younger defenseman and mentor him as well as protect him.
What do you think of Polak, Leafs fans? Weigh in below.
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