FEATURE: McLeod Takes Huge Step Forward This Season

NEWARK, N.J.- Devils forward Pavel Zacha is a natural-born center. However, his chemistry with linemates and friends Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt has seen him move from center to wing. If that fixture becomes permanent, the Devils will need a new 3C.
Or, perhaps, they already have one.
Enter: Michael McLeod.

"If you look at his ice time, he's done a lot to say that maybe he's already in that (third centerman) role," Devils head coach Lindy Ruff said. "It's something you have to evaluate. You have to look at. He's a guy that has played extremely hard. He fits a third-, fourth-line center role."
McLeod, 23, has emerged this season and established himself as an NHL player. He earned his spot in the lineup out of training camp and has become one of the team's most reliable players in his role: whether it be as a third-, fourth-line grinder, a physical menace, a defensive player or a penalty killer.
"He's physical. He kills penalties. Has scored some goals for us," Ruff said. "I thought he had some ups and downs throughout the year, but he's put together a really good stretch of games here where he's playing against the top personnel from other teams. He feels good about the way he's playing."
The 6-foot-2, 188-pound centerman should feel good about the way he's playing. He set career highs across the board in games played (50), goals (9), assists (5) and points (14) while logging 16 minutes of average ice time since April 4.
McLeod also drastically improved in the face-off circle. He went 11-5 on draws (69 percent) Thursday night against the Islanders, and has a season marker of 51.5. Since March 1, the Mississauga native has won 53.5-percent of his faceoffs.
Ruff has seen demonstrative growth in him since the beginning of the year.
"Confidence with the puck. Ability to make plays under pressure," Ruff said. "I think when the puck goes in the net you start to feel good about yourself. Earlier in the year they went in and it's carried on throughout the year."
McLeod, a 2016 first-round draft pick (12th overall), picked up his first-career NHL goal Jan. 26 vs. Philadelphia. Four games later he would notch two tallies for his first-career two-goal game at Buffalo Jan. 31.
McLeod's latest goal came Thursday night when he was crashing the net and re-directed a Damon Severson pass into the goal for the eventual game-winner in a 2-1 victory against the Islanders at Long Island.

"It's nice cashing in every now and then," McLeod said. "I'm playing with good players that can make it happen down low, hard on the forecheck and can make plays."
Those good players are Nathan Bastian and Miles Wood. The trio has formed a unique chemistry throughout the season. Known either as the Energy Line or BMW Line (Bastion, McLeod, Wood), the threesome has brought a physical edge to the Devils evidenced by Bastian's team-leading 129 hits, followed by McLeod's 88. At times, the line was so effective at changing the momentum in games and facing opposing team's top scorers that they were elevated to playing top-6 minutes.
"They've played a big role for us not only on the scoring, but when you look at the penalty killing and the physicality that they have to bring," Ruff said. "Call them third (line), call them fourth, there are some nights you could call them second because they have played minutes that look like they've been a top line."
McLeod is still working on his game. He has a lot of areas in which to improve, but the 2020-21 season was a huge step in the right direction.
"It's trying to learn each game. Taking different things from different centermen around the league, even centermen that you play with," said McLeod, who noted that he learned a lot from former teammate and now current opponent Travis Zajac. "Watching film, watching your game, noticing where you need to be better, are you in the right spots. It's just getting better as a centerman knowing where to be on the ice."