"There is little doubt that the Maple Leafs are a better team with Tim Connolly in the lineup.

Not only does he help generate offence — he had 15 points in 20 games going into Monday night's contest — he is defensively sound as well.

To help the Leafs' top unit tighten up on the defensive side of the puck, Connolly was reunited with Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul on Monday for the matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.

"We need just a little more balance between offence and defence, so I think and hope that Timmy is able to provide that for the first line," coach Ron Wilson said after the Leafs' morning skate. "(The top unit) is scoring a lot but they're also giving up a lot of goals and we've got to shore that up.""