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It's time to give Leafs' Bozak his due

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports

Tyler Bozak played the hero Monday night.

The 31-year-old scored a late power-play marker that propelled the Toronto Maple Leafs to a crucial 4-2 victory, and, more importantly, helped the club complete a series sweep of the Boston Bruins.

Related: Leafs earn 2 huge regulation points vs. Bruins, sweep season series

The win helped the Maple Leafs inch within a point of the Bruins for third place in the Atlantic Division, and was just another example of Bozak's importance to the team.

He has long been considered Toronto's best faceoff man. So the fact that his 56.27 percent success rate is by far the best mark on the team, and makes him one of just two Maple Leafs centers to possess a success rate of 50 percent or better, should come as no surprise.

Then there are his offensive contributions.

This year, the media frenzy caused by the Maple Leafs' rookie class has allowed Bozak to fly under the radar. While it hasn't been a topic of discussion, the longtime Maple Leaf is in the midst of a career season.

He's just three goals away from hitting the 20-goal mark for the second time in his eight-year career, a point away from tying his previous career high, and two power-play points back of his career best, and his 31 assists are his highest single-season total.

What also shouldn't be forgotten is how vital Bozak has been to rookie Mitch Marner's development. He has seemingly taken Marner under his wing, and has assisted on 11 of the 19-year-old's 17 goals.

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Factor all this in with his friendly $4.2-million cap hit this season and next, and you can appreciate the Maple Leafs' return on investment.

Bozak is the longest-tenured member of the team, having dressed in 502 games since joining the league during the 2009-10 season. His 124 goals and 315 points during that span rank second only to Phil Kessel.

He has been through some tough days in Toronto, and, at times, has received criticism for failing to live up to the standard set by many of the league's top centermen, but he continues to trek on.

The Maple Leafs are on the cusp of just their second postseason appearance in the salary-cap era, and it goes without saying that much of the credit is due to Bozak.

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