Considering the amount of forward depth the Maple Leafs organization has from top to bottom, it was surprising to see Sheldon Keefe insert Pontus Aberg onto Auston Matthews’ wing in the absence of Andreas Johnsson. A lot of us probably asked the same question — given Johnsson’s role as a worker and go-get-the-puck-back guy, wouldn’t it make more sense for Zach Hyman or Ilya Mikheyev to be in that spot? While I don’t necessarily disagree, for those who don’t know, Pontus Aberg isn’t just your average AHL call-up.
Having played for four NHL teams since the 2016-17 season, Aberg is well versed in NHL life despite only playing a total of 127 games in the league.