There comes a time when an athlete plateaus, and he’s no longer progressing unless given a bigger chance to shine. Alex Steeves is at that point, as though he’s had a stellar Toronto Marlies tenure, the fact he hasn’t been called upon much for the Maple Leafs has irked him.
Always one to bet on himself, Steeves is taking no chances when it comes to his future, whether it be in Toronto; or not. Speaking to David Alter of The Hockey News, Steeves is confident it’ll work out:
‘I hope it happens here. I really do, but I’m putting less pressure on myself because if it doesn’t work out here, it’s going to work out somewhere else.’
It’s not hard to see why Steeves has such confidence in himself, as he is close to breaking the Marlies all-time points record, and has shown on numerous occasions that he is better than an AHL roster. With 166 points in his time with the Marlies, he’s proven to be a reliable asset and it’s puzzling why Toronto can’t give him an honest look.
‘I would say I definitely feel like maybe, you know, I could have had more opportunities in the past. I think I’m human to think that. I’ve performed pretty well in the American League.This year, I’ve been in a better headspace. I’ve come to accept that there are so many things out of my control, whether it’s bringing in guys, roster limits, cap space limits-you know, I could go on and on.’
Toronto should offer him a longer look, especially if Nick Robertson is out the door soon. Steeves has proven himself, he’s still only 24 years old, and given the brutal lack of offense from the Leafs’ bottom six, he could inject life into it if they would just offer him a shot.
A former standout at Notre Dame, Steeves had his contract extended earlier this year by Toronto and they are clearly high on their forward. There’s been a logjam at forward in previous years but the complete disaster of this season should open things up for Steeves.
He’s not too worried though:
‘For me, it’s kind of just biding my time and coming to accept that, obviously, I want to be here. I chose to be here, and I’ve been really loyal up until this point-this is my fourth year here. But at the same time, whether or not it happens for me here, I just need to focus on the things I can do. I think I’m going to have a long NHL career.’
Toronto hopes that he has a long and fruitful career as well, but if they don’t act soon, he’s going to be doing it with another team instead.
