Villeneuve, 24, was drafted in the fourth round, 122nd overall, by the Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Draft and is currently in his fourth season with the Marlies. He currently has 28 points in 58 games and passed TJ Brennan to become the Marlies’ all-time leader in assists by a defenceman, sitting behind Brennan for second on the Marlies’ all time scoring leaderboard by a defenceman.
Villeneuve has been juggled between the AHL and the NHL a couple of times this year but has yet to appear in his first NHL game. His offensive production has taken a step back this season, down from 40 points in 55 games a year ago, but it’s not due to poor play. He’s one of the older defencemen on their back end outside of veterans like Matt Benning, and he’s been used in more of an all-around role to develop his two-way game as opposed to being utilized as an all-offensive defenceman.
While it’s unclear if Villeneuve will make his NHL debut against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday night, his odds have certainly increased with the injury to Oliver Ekman-Larsson against the San Jose Sharks. Ekman-Larsson typically plays on the right side and has been their top driver of offence this season, so it makes sense for Villeneuve to slide into a similar role. Especially given that the team was just eliminated from playoff contention, so seeing what you have in Villeneuve in a risk-free situation seems ideal as opposed to giving the spot to a veteran like Philippe Myers.
The Maple Leafs will wrap up their road trip against the Kings on Saturday and will have three days off to follow before returning home to host the Washington Capitals.
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