Toronto Maple Leafs: The Top Five Prospect Options

The Toronto Maple Leafs still have a fantastic prospect pool.

Many of the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t going to make the team this season and that’s fine because some aren’t completely ready.

However, we still have the unique opportunity to rank five Leafs prospects and how I’m going about my ranking is by picking the best suited to play for the club this season.

I’m trying to separate prospects like Timothy Liljegren away from the five that I’ve chosen for this article to differentiate their stages in development.

Liljegren is still some time off from being ready to play in the NHL, in my opinion, that is.

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He’ll serve as the most notable prospect in the Leafs system that won’t appear in this top five article.

For some others, it’s a fine line, but when it comes down to NHL readiness, skill and work ethic, I believe the five that I’ve selected match the prerequisites.

Now, I’m not saying any of the five included in this slideshow will make the Leafs roster for the 2017-18 season right out of the gate, but they definitely have earned a chance.

I’ll expand on which players I think have the best chance to crack the squad on opening night, October 4, less than one week away.

There’s always a chance some may find their way onto the team at another point in the season, just keep that in mind.

Okay, let’s get going and work our way down to number one, but we’ll start with two bonus fringe players.

Disclaimer, this is going to be a long article.

Carl Grundstrom & Andreas Johnsson

This feisty Swede is right on the fringe of this list but is a longshot to make the team this year.

Carl Grundstrom was drafted 57th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the Leafs and spent the 2016-17 season with the Frolunda HC in the SHL, producing 14 goals and 20 points, adding one goal and an assist in 14 playoff games.

Grundstrom would then come over to North America to play in the Toronto Marlies playoff run last season, scoring three goals and four points in six appearances.

The Leafs signed the 19-year-old to a three-year entry-level contract on April 28, 2017, with a cap hit of $925,000.

Pretty standard.

He’s relatively new to the Leafs/Marlies system but is beginning to prove his worth.

Another on the bubble player that probably has more upside right now is Andreas Johnsson, who happens to be Swedish as well.

Johnsson was drafted 202nd overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft to the Leafs and played with the Marlies last season, producing 20 goals and 47 points in 75 games played.

He’s signed to a three-year ELC with a cap hit of $750,833 and is entering his last year under contract.

The left winger has played well during preseason action, scoring one goal and three points in three games so far.

Miro Aaltonen

The centerpiece for the fourth line center debate makes his appearance, landing at number five.

Miro Aaltonen was drafted 177th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft to the Anaheim Ducks, never suiting up for a game in their system.

He went unsigned by the Ducks and was signed as a free agent by the Leafs on March 17, 2017, to a one-year deal with a cap hit of $925,000.

Aaltonen spent the 2016-17 season with the Vityaz Podolsk of the KHL, producing 19 goals and 44 points in 59 games played.

He was utilized as an offensive player in the K, but Mike Babcock wants to transition his game to be a more defensively minded player, capable of handling penalty kill duties.

The vacant fourth line center position has been completely up for grabs after newcomer, Dominic Moore, failed to impress early on and Aaltonen’s made the best of the situation, leading mainly be believe that he has the inside track.

I’ve been quite impressed with his preseason play and I’d bet that I’m not the only one who feels that way.

It’s not 100% that the job is his, but it looks like it’s his to lose.

Travis Dermott

Vying for a position on the bottom pairing, Travis Dermott has excelled in camp this year, really making it tough to exclude him from the opening night roster.

He was drafted 34th overall in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft to the Leafs and was signed to three-year ELC on July 22, 2015, just weeks after the draft.

Because of his age and the fact that he didn’t suit up for any Leafs games for the first two years of his contract, he was eligible for an entry-level slide, meaning he’ll still be under contract through the 2019-20 season.

He played for the Marlies last season, producing five goals and 24 points in 59 games played.

Dermott’s a smart, speedy and offensive defender, the type of player that Babcock likes and can rely on consistently.

We all know that Babs like to play the favorite game, right?

Now, all that’s to say, he can and will still improve in other facets of his game, including his play in the defensive zone.

Dermott’s really pushing for a roster spot this season and is up against some pretty stiff competition, but he’s definitely not making the choice easy.

During his days with the Erie Otters in the OHL, he had the privilege of playing with superstar Connor McDavid, learning from one of the best offensive minds in the game.

That’ll serve Dermott well on how to defend against an arsenal of offensive prowess that comes with being an NHL defender.

Calle Rosen

Another Swede, Calle Rosen went unnoticed an undrafted, entering the NHL scene when the Leafs signed him to a two-year ELC with a cap hit of $925,000 on May 16, 2017.

Another defenseman lobbying his case for a spot on the Leafs bottom pairing for the 2017-18 season, Rosen has really impressed everyone.

He spent the 2016-17 season with the Vaxjo Lakers HC of the SHL, producing six goals and 19 points in 41 games played, adding five goals and seven points in 11 playoff games.

That’s impressive.

He was also a +19 during the season and I know some find that statistic irrelevant, however, it’s nice to see the number as a positive.

Rosen’s a left-handed shot, standing at 6’1″ tall and weighing about 195 lb, so he can pack a punch.

He plays a speedy, shifty and elusive game, watching him during preseason action has been exciting, to say the least.

I believe, like Aaltonen, that Rosen has put himself into the position where it’ll be very hard for Babcock and company to exclude him from the final roster.

He’s still young, at just 23 years of age, but his hockey sense and IQ is already quite high, which is fantastic going forward.

Kasperi Kapanen

Here’s where a lot of you are going to disagree, but just hear (read) me out and I’ll try and defend my position.

Kapanen, in my opinion – like many others opinion, is the most highly skilled and talented prospect within the Leafs system, but unlike the number one on my list, he isn’t as NHL proven.

That doesn’t mean that he’s not the best prospect the Leafs have, just not the most NHL proven (not that he’s not ready) and that’s why he’s not number one.

No need to get riled up over this one, okay?

Kappy was drafted 22nd overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft (14 spots after William Nylander) to the Pittsburgh Penguins and was the centerpiece return in the Phil Kessel blockbuster trade.

Pittsburgh signed him to a three-year ELC on July 12, 2014, with a cap hit of $868,333 and his contract will end at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.

He spent most of the last season with the Marlies, producing 18 goals and 43 points in 43 games played, but wouldn’t take part in their playoff run because he joined the Leafs playoff run.

Before that, he played in eight regular-season games with the Leafs, scoring one very vital goal, adding two more goals in six playoff games, one of which was another vital goal.

Basically, he scores important goals.

Kapanen can still push for a spot, but it’s unlikely he’ll make the squad despite probably earning one to start the season.

His time will come very soon, don’t worry.