Editor In Leaf
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Toronto Maple Leafs: Crowded Up Front

By Lauren Kelly

Mar 24, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bozak (42) and forward William Nylander (39) and forward Nazem Kadri (43) celebrate a win over the Anaheim Ducks at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Anaheim 6-5 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bozak (42) and forward William Nylander (39) and forward Nazem Kadri (43) celebrate a win over the Anaheim Ducks at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto defeated Anaheim 6-5 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs have too many players to fill twelve, maybe thirteen, forward spots is probably a good problem to have.

Realistically though, it probably gives Mike Babcock and his Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coaches a headache. With so many promising players seemingly ready to make the jump to the NHL, there just aren’t enough roster spots up front to accommodate everyone.

There are going to be extremely good, young, players who begin the season in the American Hockey League.

Babcock isn’t going to want to ice a forward group of rookies. Veterans provide the stability and experience the rookies need in order to flourish as full-time NHLers. So, barring a large trade happening between now and opening night puck drop, here are the veteran Leafs forwards still on the team’s payroll for next season:

You could make a case for Peter Holland and Nazem Kadri to be included on that list as well, depending on where you draw the line as a “veteran”. As these two are still relatively young and will be a part of the team’s future, they probably don’t fit the criteria just yet.

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Brandon Prust has signed with the team on a PTO, but with so many veterans and so little room, unless he dazzles at training camp, he’ll either sign a contract with the Marlies or the Leafs will let him walk.

But that’s a lot of veteran players with only twelve-thirteen forward spots available. Let’s say the Leafs manage to trade Lupul, Michalek, and Greening before opening night. That still leaves seven forward spots filled, if you include Holland and Kadri.

Now let’s look at a list of the other, younger, players that we expect will make the final roster:

Other talented players like Andreas Johnson and Dmytro Timashov may need one more season of AHL development to get adjusted to professional, North-American hockey, which is why they’ve been left off of this list. But it’s quite obvious that not all of the veterans, nor all of the prospects, will make the final roster.

Considering the fact that the Leafs might alternate rookies into the lineup so they’re not burned out by December, and that someone always ends up getting injured, there may not be as much of a crowded forward group as it seems right now.

The Leafs will probably send majority of the younger players (who are eligible) back down to the Marlies in order to get them more ice-time and develop them more.

Players you will probably see being bounced up and down from the NHL and AHL are Leivo, Kapanen, and Rychel, but any one of the young players could be sent back down (probably not Matthews, though).

There are definitely many difficult decisions for Leafs management and coaching staff to make in the next month or so.

Next: Prust Hrabarenka Invited On PTO's

Training camp should provide ample opportunity for the coaches to get good looks at prospects to determine if they’re ready then, or need more seasoning in the AHL.

If it happens that there are too many players and not enough spots, well, it’s a new and refreshing problem to have, for fans, at least. Leafs’ coaching staff might not feel the same way.

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