Last playoffs, a lack of depth was part of the Leafs’ undoing. Their fourth line averaged 8:37 (Tyler Ennis), 7:46 (Trevor Moore), and 7:25 (Frederik Gauthier) in time on ice because they couldn’t be trusted enough. Their third line was completely unproductive, with neither Patrick Marleau or Connor Brown scoring (they had three assists combined between the two of them). When Nazem Kadri was suspended, William Nylander had to center Brown and Marleau and it rendered him completely ineffective.
Conversely, the Bruins received meaningful contributions from players like Sean Kuraly, Joakim Nordstrom and Danton Heinen, among others, throughout their run to the Cup Finals.