The Toronto Maple Leafs stood tall yesterday despite missing two of their veteran defenseman due to illness. The Leafs shut out the New York Islanders and the game was highlighted by both Travis Dermott and Justin Holl scoring their first career NHL goals. With each passing game, Dermott has been impressing Leafs fans and now he's impressing fellow players in the locker room including the team's young superstar, Auston Matthews. "He's got a lot of confidence," Matthews said after Wednesday's win, per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. "He's not afraid to carry the puck. He's skilled. He can play both ways with the puck. Good skater. Sees the ice well. Makes guys around him better so it's always fun going out there with guys that can play like that."
The 21 year old has played in nine games so far and has registered one goal and two assists. While talk has heavily featured the Leafs need for a defenseman at the blueline, Dermott might just end up being the better solution. What do you think of Dermott's play so far?
