After looking at Matthew Knies and Emil Andrae yesterday, we are covering the final acquisition (other than the draft pick of course) in the blockbuster Kirill Marchenko trade, with that being Steven Lorentz.
At first glance, Lorentz seems like a possible replacement for injured forward Isac Lundestrom, as he is also a defense-first player who can eat minutes on the penalty kill but doesn't provide a whole lot of offense.
As of right now, however, he is slated to start the season in the AHL with the Cleveland Monsters, and should be a welcome veteran presence on a team filled with youth.
Steven Lorentz is a depth piece who can be called upon in a pinch
Lorentz's stats definitely don't jump off the page, as he scored 18 points this past season and 19 points the one prior. Despite having scored 46 points in 61 games in the AHL during the 2019-20 season, 19 remains his career high in the NHL.
He also had pretty middling analytics, with his 46.8 on-ice expected goals percentage ranking fifth out of 11 qualified forwards at even strength. However, he did allow the least expected goals against per 60 minutes among Maple Leafs forwards according to MoneyPuck.
Lorentz did have the most penalty kill ice time out of all forwards, but allowed the most expected goals against per 60 minutes out of the four that played the most in that situation.
It strikes me as slightly odd that he was the best defensive forward at even strength, but the worst on the penalty kill relative to his teammates. Regardless, the 6'4, 220-pound forward would be serviceable in a fourth-line role if injuries get out of hand.
He cleared waivers when Toronto sent him down just days before this trade, so that would be of no concern if the Blue Jackets did need to call him up and then send him down again.
Despite his size and two-way skill, Lorentz doesn't play down the middle often, but I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be able to fill that role too.
He's definitely not a big part of this trade, but there's enough to like about the 30-year-old that it doesn't feel like a straight cap dump. Given his past success in the minors, he is likely to be a really solid player for the Monsters at worst, and should hopefully provide some leadership while he's there.
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