He probably would have tightened up the Japanese cruisers and destroyers
at Leyte Gulf. The Northern Force, which was a decoy to lure Halsey away from the beaches, had the Japanese aircraft carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku,
the carriers which played NO PART in Midway since they were out from May
1942 to October 1944, and had no air wings.
Factually incorrect
Shokaku
24 August 1942: Battle of the Eastern Solomons. Light damage from bomb fragments.
5 September 1942: Arrive at Truk.
11 October 1942: Depart Truk for Guadalcanal operations.
26 October 1942: Battle of Santa Cruz; heavily damaged by bombs. Four, possibly even six bombs struck the flight deck, one aft of the island and the rest all grouped around the amidships and aft elevators.
At Kure for repairs
9 July 1943: Depart Kure for Truk, followed by ZUIKAKU, the two sisters again re-united.
15 July 1943: Arrive at Truk.
18-25 September 1943: Sortied from Truk to Brown Island (Eniwetok) with Combined Fleet under VADM Ozawa's tactical command in response to U.S. Task Force 15 carrier raids on Tarawa and Makin.
17 October 1943:Sortied from Truk to Eniwetok with Combined Fleet under ADM Koga's command in response to U.S. Task Force 16 carrier raids on Wake Island.
30 October-13 November 1943: Operation RO - Reinforcement of Rabaul:
11 November 1943: Depart Truk for Yokosuka.
15 November 1943: Arrive at Yokosuka.
17 January 1944: Depart Yokosuka to rejoin
ZUIKAKU in the Inland Sea.
6 February 1944: Depart Inland Sea by Tokuyama with
ZUIKAKU for Singapore.
13 February 1944: Arrive at Singapore, the new advance base of "decisive operations".
20 February 1944: Depart Singapore for Lingga.
March 1944: Depart Guimaras with Mobile Fleet for the Battle of the Marianas.
18-19 June 1944:
In company with flagship TAIHO and sister ZUIKAKU participates in the Battle of the Marianas.
19 June 1944: Lost in Action
I count five actions & she is then sunk BEFORE Leyte.
Zuikaku
24 August 1942: Battle of the Eastern Solomons.
September 1942: Support force, striking force main body (3rd Fleet, CarDiv 1). In Truk area throughout.
11 October 1942:Depart Truk for Guadalcanal operations.
26 October 1942: Battle of Santa Cruz; bombed, but no damage.
30 October 1942: Return to Truk.
29 January- 8 February 1943: Operation KE - Evacuation of Guadalcanal:
3 May 1943: Depart Truk for homeland.
8 May 1943: Arrive at Yokosuka.
15 May-2 June 1943: Departed Kure in response to 12 May U.S. invasion of Attu, to Tokyo Bay with CarDiv 1. Before force could sail to Aleutians, Attu fell to U.S. forces; returned to Kure.
18-25 September 1943: Sortied from Truk to Brown Island (Eniwetok) with Combined Fleet under VADM Ozawa's tactical command in response to U.S. Task Force 15 carrier raids on Tarawa and Makin. Returned to Truk.
17-26 October 1943: Sortied from Truk to Eniwetok with Combined Fleet under ADM Koga's command in response to U.S. Task Force 16 carrier raids on Wake Island. Returned to Truk.
30 October-13 November 1943: Operation RO - Reinforcement of Rabaul:
19 June 1944: In company with flagship TAIHO and sister SHOKAKU, becomes the only survivor of CarDiv 1 whenTAIHO is torpedoed and subsequently explodes and sister-ship SHOKAKU is set afire by torpedo attack,settles, and blows apart and sinks.
20 June 1944: Battle of the Philippine Sea; receive one direct bomb hit aft of the island, that penetrated the flight deckand started a fire in the hangar. Five close near misses by bombs, but all torpedoes avoided. Damage moderate.
20 October 1944: Depart Oita for "Sho" Operations as part of Ozawa's decoy force.
25 October 1944: Battle off Cape Engano: Sunk
I count SEVEN operations before being lost at Leyte.
Timelines from Combined Fleet.
In total there were TWELVE sorties and/or battles engaged in by these two ships AFTER Coral Sea, not counting time at sea on patrol.
The worst part of your ongoing incorrect factual statements is that you can find the truth so easily.