2018 Top 25 Under 25: #24 Jordan Subban

The Leafs signed Subban!

Jordan Subban.

“Wait. There’s a third Subban?” is what you may be saying right now. Everyone knows PK Subban, and most hockey fans have likely seen his goaltender brother Malcolm Subban playing for the Golden Knights last season. But, yes, there’s a third Subban brother that plays hockey, and the Leafs picked him up as a free agent this summer.

The Basic Facts

If you’re a Leafs fan you can be forgiven for not yet hearing about him. Jordan was drafted by the Canucks, and five years later has yet to make his regular season NHL debut (though he has played in the pre-season).

Marlies fans will know him. Even after the major AHL realignment in 2016, the Canucks stuck with the Comets as their AHL affiliate who play on the opposite side of the continent in Utica (the place where they have never heard of steamed hams). The Comets are in the AHL North Division which means Jordan Subban has made a few visits every year to Ricoh Coliseum.

However, he was only with the Comets for two of their six matches against the Marlies last season as he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in December 2017.

The Kings didn’t provide a Qualifying Offer to Subban so he became a free agent, and the Leafs swooped in and signed him to a two-way contract.

Robyn from our LA Kings sibling site Jewels From The Crown provided some background on the situation.

Jordan Subban was mostly a throw in for Nic Dowd. Dowd struggled on the Kings, even with their limited center depth. Vancouver had an opportunity with the Horvat injury so a deal was made.

As for why they didn’t QO Subban, I don’t think they were all that impressed with him. He struggled quite a bit in Ontario. In 36 games, he managed a meager 4-4-8 and 53 PIM. Team management is looking to get faster and more skilled, as evidenced by their decisions made at this year’s draft.

I think with his age and skill level, he was projecting to be no more than a third pairing defenseman at best and those are cheap and easy to come by on the open market, plus they currently have a few guys vying for the sixth and seventh D spots as Phaneuf, Forbort, Doughty, Muzzin, and Martinez are pretty much unmovable from the roster. There is the slim (VERY slim) possibility that either Muzzin or Martinez are moved to bring in more scoring help, but overall, I don’t think Subban fit with their plans. - Robyn

He wound up here because of Phaneuf! Thanks, Senators.

So what do we actually have here? A possibly third-pairing defenceman for the Leafs some day? Let’s start with the raw stats. Subban was listed as 5’9 and turned 23 back in March. Here’s his stat sheet.

Elite Prospects

Subban is a right-shooting defenceman. He will almost certainly wind up on the Marlies after training camp unless there’s a surprise injury to someone like Zaitsev or Carrick. Who he will play with on the Marlies is still a tough call. Sheldon Keefe’s team will have a few new faces to start next season and if he can keep up the strong goaltending, Keefe will probably test out a few different defense pairings at the start of the season to get a feel for what Subban brings. He could even test if Subban can play on the other side.

This signing has a feel of the Leafs brass thinking they’ve found a hidden gem with some particular skill they think they can polish, perhaps turning a mediocre player into slightly above-average with specialized training and their vast development resources.

Despite seeing Subban in person a few times over the last two seasons, I can’t tell you what that skill is. He was certainly one of the best on his Comets team, and they used him a lot, but there was nothing remarkable that stood out to me. He’s going to be a depth player, and not magically turn into his brother through anything less than wizardry.

One thing that’s clear is that Subban is not afraid to get physical in his play, or to drop the gloves when it’s called for. He was in four fights last season including this rather wild one.

So if it’s still a question mark on Subban, why did he make my Top 25?

At this part of the series the challenge for me was a decision on skaters vs. goalies. It was a tough decision about whether or not to include Mason Marchment and Subban, or instead include one or two of the goalies: Ian Scott, Kasimir Kaskisuo, and Joseph Woll. Looking at their body of work, and comparing it to the goalies, I went with the skaters. I am not as convinced I see long term potential in the goalies to make an impact in the organization. Subban could be an important piece to a strong Marlies team that can make another deep run in the Calder Cup Playoffs next season.

This doesn’t mean I don’t think one of those three goalies could develop further, only that Subban (and Marchment) have already taken a step in showing they can. Others here have a different view on that.

Related

Top 25 Under 25: The case for Ian Scott and Joseph Woll

Of note, there is a chance we may not get to see Subban at all next season as he has lost his waiver exempt status. However, I think it unlikely he would be claimed if sent down at the right moment from training camp.

Assuming Jordan Subban stays, his contract is for only one year. It looks like a deal to prove he can do what they need him to do before a longer deal would be offered.