What are the Toronto Maple Leafs getting with Steven Lorentz? – Hockey Writers – Toronto Maple Leafs

As training camp approaches, the Toronto Maple Leafs have no breaking news. There have been rumors that the Maple Leafs have extended the professional tryout (PTO) to 28-year-old Steven Lorentz. However, only this morning there was confirmation that Lorentz had accepted the offer.

Lorentz stands 6-foot-4 and weighs between 206 and 216 pounds (depending on the site you look at). He is listed as a central/left winger and shoots from the left. The Carolina Hurricanes selected him 186th overall in the 7th round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Related: Nick Robertson Should Follow Jake DeBrusk's Lead With Bruins

Lorentz played 230 regular season games and 32 playoff games, mostly on the fourth line for the Hurricanes, San Jose Sharks, and Florida Panthers. He averaged a career-high 11:50 of ice time per game on a bad Sharks team in 2022-23 and recently averaged 8:47 per game in 32 regular season games and 7:07 per game in 16 games of the playoffs the Panthers won the Stanley Cup last season.

Lorentz Isn't Noted For His Offensive Power, But He Can Score

Despite not being known for his offense, Lorentz scored 10 goals in 80 games for the Sharks in 2022-23. He scored just one goal in the regular season for the Panthers and added two in the playoffs last season. When Lorentz was a freshman, he scored 52 goals in two seasons with the Peterborough Petes in the regular season and added 11 goals in 19 postseason games. That would show that Lorentz has some offensive skills. [He missed playing with Nick Robertson for the Petes by a year. He left the season before Robertson joined the team.]

Of course, for a player of his size, it is natural to wonder how he uses this size and the game he plays physically. Lorentz has 317 hits in 230 regular season games and 72 in 32 playoff games. That works out to 1.4 hits per game in the regular season and 2.3 hits per game in the postseason. If we were to use Ryan Reaves as a measuring stick, Reaves averaged 3.4 hits per game in the regular season and 4.1 hits per game in the playoffs. If we were to look at comparisons to the Maple Leafs in terms of hitters, the closest would be John Tavares. While in Toronto, Tavares averaged 1.1 hits per game in the regular season and 2.3 hits per game in the postseason.

Lorentz Is Big, But He Doesn't Fight Much

Although fighting is less important, it is still part of the game. Lorentz only had one fight in the NHL. It was during the 2021-22 season with the Hurricanes. Lorentz defended his then-partner Max Domi when Jacob Trouba appeared to give Domi the upper hand on the boards. The fighting wasn't much. Lorentz went into one turn before falling to the ice and holding on as Trouba continued to slide.

Related: Pros and Cons of Maple Leafs Options with Nicholas Robertson

As it happened, the replays showed that Domi was defeated and was about to fall as Trouba had planned a song for him. Trouba did not receive a penalty. The important thing here for Lorentz is that he did not hesitate to jump up and stand up for his teammate.

According to Hockey Fights, Lorentz had seven fights in the minor leagues in three seasons. One video of the fight also showed Lorentz jumping up after his teammate hit the opponent hard. The outcome of the battle was similar to that of Trouba. Lorentz got in a few races but then held on as his opponent, David Sklenicka, got shots. In the fighting department, it looks like Lorentz gets an “A” for effort but a “D” for execution.

Hard to Find Much Information About Lorentz

A search for Lorentz's highlights on YouTube doesn't turn up much. We found three videos of his goals that we can call “career-like”. There wasn't much light involved. When we looked at Lorentz's basic stats on Natural Stat Trick, nothing caught our eye in 5-on-5. While he played for an excellent Panthers team last season, he was close to 50% in the regular season but has not fared well in his playoff minutes, hovering around 40%.

Another thing to note is that in the one season he played for the Sharks, Lorentz averaged more than one minute in penalty kicks. That was the only season he was used a lot on the PK.

There's a Good Chance Lorentz Won't Be a Difference Maker for Toronto

We see nothing in Lorentz's past that enriches the scale in any way. Unless he does something unexpected in camp, or unless the Maple Leafs suffer an injury or decide to move some of their bottom six players, it appears that Lorentz will be hard-pressed to make the roster by the start of the season.

Related: Marner Needs to Escape Matthews' Shadow in Toronto

[Note: I want to thank long-time Maple Leafs fan Stan Smith for collaborating with me on this post. Stan’s Facebook profile can be found here.]