MacEwen Won a Job and Showed What the Maple Leafs Want

For years, it sometimes felt as if the Maple Leafs' roster was pretty much written in ink before training camp even began. The big names were settled, the supporting cast was mostly settled, and the fourth line was usually just a matter of figuring out who filled in around the edges. Even starting in the offseason, this year feels different.

Zack MacEwen appears to have won a fourth-line job, pushing veteran Steven Lorentz out of the picture after a preseason finale that pretty much screamed, “This is what I bring.” MacEwen scored a goal against Ottawa, but that wasn't what really caught the eye. It was what happened when Hayden Hodgson took liberties with Jake McCabe.

MacEwen dropped the gloves. That earned him a game misconduct, but it may also have earned him something considerably more important: an NHL job. And that is where this gets interesting.

The Maple Leafs Aren't Just Filling a Fourth Line.

There was a time when fourth-line jobs in Toronto could look like spare parts. Find somebody who can skate, kill a few minutes, maybe chip in a goal and stay out of trouble. The current Maple Leafs seem to want something more specific. They want identity.

MacEwen brings size, forechecking, physicality and, apparently, a willingness to step in when one of his teammates gets pushed around. At a reported $875,000 cap hit, that's a fairly inexpensive way to add a particular element to the roster. The goal against Ottawa certainly helped. But the willingness to defend McCabe may have told the coaching staff even more.

This isn't necessarily about turning MacEwen into a heavyweight enforcer. Hockey has moved well beyond that simple definition of a fourth-line player. It's about having someone on the bench who changes how opponents think about taking liberties.

Lorentz's Waiver Placement Says Something, Too.

Steven Lorentz is hardly a bad hockey player. That's what makes this decision worth watching. He's a veteran who knows how to play a responsible game. But Toronto appears to have decided that MacEwen gives this particular roster something it needs more. And that fits the larger picture.

The Maple Leafs have been talking about being harder to play against. More physical. More difficult to handle when the games get nasty in April. Well, this is one small piece of that philosophy.

MacEwen didn't simply score his way onto the roster. He showed the Leafs an attitude they apparently wanted. That's the secondary story here.

Why Did MacEwen Make the Roster?

Sometimes a player doesn't win a job because he's the most talented player in the room. Sometimes he wins it because he tells you exactly what kind of hockey the team wants to play. MacEwen got that opportunity Thursday night.

He didn't whisper. He kicked the door down.