Josh Leivo still loves pasta. He just does not eat it anymore. When he is hungry now, you would be much more likely find him eating a broccoli or zucchini stir-fry. The lasagna is left untouched.
“I was having digestive problems, stomach problems. Once I noticed that, it was a big eye opener for me,” Leivo told the Sporting News. “Once I switched into my new diet, it was tough at first staying off all the bad stuff I used to eat, but once I got through all that, you see way better results. Your fitness test scores are higher.”
Perhaps this new diet will also help Leivo gain an edge in cracking the Leafs lineup on a full-time basis.
Leivo was on the Maple Leafs roster the past two seasons, but was perpetually stuck in the role as thirteenth forward. He was on the team, but Leivo did not really feel like he was, playing in only 29 games over two seasons.
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When it became clear that the Maple Leafs were going to let James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov leave via free agency and Matt Martin was traded to the New York Islanders, Leivo recognized he might finally have an opportunity to secure more consistent playing time. If he was going to put himself in the best position to succeed, he knew he had to change the way he prepared over the summer.
“Losing a few guys has given me a little opportunity and it motivated me that I needed to change my diet,” Leivo said. “I obviously trained hard in the summer, I think the off-ice program stayed the same, but nutrition wise, I changed my diet completely. I went paleo for a bit, I tried to cut some weight. I really got into the healthy eating and I feel like it’s showing a lot now.”
With the help of a nutritionist, Leivo was able to determine foods that were not doing him any favours. Sweets and candy of any kind are out. So, too, are any foods containing sugars. Pasta is a no-go as well. He now keeps grains to a minimum and sticks to meats and vegetables.
“Once you cut out all those foods, your taste buds start to expand and you start liking more things,” he said. “I used to hate a lot of vegetables, but now I’ve had to expand into eating those vegetables so like broccoli, zucchinis I used to hate. Now I can eat them all day.”
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It is amazing how one’s tastes can evolve, especially when seeing the results. Leivo – if he had a knock against him in previous seasons, it would be his foot speed - said his preseason debut on Tuesday against the Ottawa Senators was the best he has felt in a game in a long time.
“I don’t feel slow on the ice, I felt great on Tuesday coming into that game,” Leivo said. “Yeah, energetic, my muscles are moving better, my hips are opening. Your whole body feels better when you eat healthier. My legs weren’t as tired skating.
“Maybe in the years before, I’d get more fatigued, couldn’t play as long and it would be a cause of injury or getting a little banged up. Once the new nutrition has kicked in, it’s literally changing everything. It is like you are like a Ferrari with better fuel, so I’ve got to keep it moving.”
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Since training camp began, Leivo has played left wing on a line with center Nazem Kadri and right wing Connor Brown. Coach Mike Babcock tends to start with lines he feels will work and only abandons them when it is clear a change is needed. Starting camp on a line with regulars is an opportunity Leivo has rarely been afforded in the past. Now he is getting his chance. It is up to him to seize it.
So far, Kadri has been impressed.
“He looks good physically, he’s definitely in shape and he’s given himself every opportunity to grab a role on this team,” Kadri told The Sporting News. “I like the way he’s playing, he’s got off to a good start and I think for a player like him, having that confidence early is key.”
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Leivo’s teammates feel he has the tools to become a dangerous player at the NHL level. Goaltender Garret Sparks was asked which player’s shot should garner more attention. His answer, unprompted, was Leivo’s.
“Just from a shooting perspective, Josh Leivo. You just can’t teach, I don’t know if it’s technique or if it’s just natural raw skill, release, instinct, whatever you call it, it’s just really hard to pick up,” Sparks said. “Placement, speed, release, amount of time it’s on his stick, the angle he’s shooting from in relation to his body. All those things make it deceptive.”
Added Kadri, “He’s got a killer snapshot and he’s accurate too, he can definitely be a scorer. He can be that natural born scorer.”
When you watch Leivo, it’s clear he is highly-skilled; and through just 57 NHL games, there have been glimpses. In 2015-16, he scored five times in just 12 games; the next season he had 10 points in 13 games. What he has not had is consistency in his game, the kind that coaches demand if a player wants to be an everyday piece. Leivo, who will begin a one-year, $925 000 contract this season, is hoping to find that alongside Kadri and Brown.
“We all get along in the room really well. In the summer we all train together,” Leivo said. “We’ve played together for so long now that it just clicks. Me and Connor played with the Marlies. Me and Naz, everytime I’ve played I’ve usually gotten a couple of chances with him and we’ve succeeded, so I think it’s been a good fit.”
Kadri has liked the fit, so far.
“I like to play-make and [Leivo] likes to be a shooter,” Kadri said. “He’s got great hockey sense, as well. Brown with his speed on the right side, I feel like it all compliments each other because you’ve got the skill, grit, physicality, size, we’ve got all the components we need, we just have to put it together.”
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Leivo’s patience for an opportunity over the past two seasons is impressive. Never did he sulk, whine or complain, at least not in public nor around his teammates, never being a distraction.
Even when addressing a report that emerged in early February that he had requested a trade, he made it clear he wanted to remain in Toronto to play for the Maple Leafs. It was not that he wanted out of Toronto; it was more that he just wanted to play, somewhere, anywhere, after so much inactivity.
“I give him all the credit in the world because he was a true professional the way he handled the situation,” said Kadri. “Mentally, that’s exhausting for a player to be in that situation not playing and having to bag skate after practices, that’s just a constant thing that wears on you over time.
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“He did a great job handling it, obviously he wanted to play and he was definitely getting the itch and wasn’t complacent at all sitting on the sidelines, but now he did something about it. That’s another thing I respect, he came in, worked hard, skating on the ice with the skills coaches, power skating, he’s improved.”
Now finally it appears Leivo might have his chance after two frustrating seasons.
“I didn’t want to let the team down or show negativity in the room, I wanted to be a good professional for the guys and a good teammate. Unfortunately, the last couple of years were tough, but they are behind me now.”