Toronto Maple Leafs: EIL Content Roundup September 3rd

Even in the driest period of the offseason, there is still plenty to talk about when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As always, the EIL staff have been working overboard to keep you informed of every angle. With so many articles hitting the, as the kids say, interwebs, it’s easy for some to slip through the cracks.

So, here are a few notable pieces from this past week.

Give Mike Cammalleri a PTO

With September rolling around, we’ve officially entered into PTO season! It’s that magical time of the summer when teams begin handing out training camp invitations to UFAs who remain unsigned.

Sometimes, these invitees fizzle out and remind everyone why they were available in the first place. Other times, they surprise and become valuable contributors at a cheap price tag.

Josh believes former-Oiler, Mike Cammalleri, will fit the latter.

“Last season, he spent his season with both the Oilers and the Kings. While he wasn’t dazzling eyes, he still had a decent campaign. In 66 games played, he registered 7 goals, 22 assists, 4 power-play points, a 13:46 ATOI and a 47.4 corsi-for percentage. Considering his low minutes per night, he didn’t have an awful campaign.

If the Toronto Maple Leafs front office extended an invite to Cammalleri, they’d be bringing a former first line centre to Toronto. Not only would he be a solid mentor for some of the prospects, but he could also light a fire under Lindholm.”

3 Non-Tavares Storylines to Watch

Contrary to popular belief, there are Leafs-related stories to follow at training camp that don’t involve John Tavares. In his latest piece, Jack gives us an idea of what they might be.

“Over the offseason, we’ve been able to establish what we, as fans, believe the lines will be. At least the top two.

Interviews with Mike Babcock have yielded some details. He’s stated that John Tavares will likely be centring Mitch Marner and perhaps Zach Hyman. This leaves William Nylander on the wing of Auston Matthews and we assume Patrick Marleau on the left.

(But then again, Patrick Marleau is not a top line winger anymore, and Mike Babcock doesn’t always tell the truth to the media).

After this, aside from Nazem Kadri as third line centre, it’s up in the air. Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnsson are essentially locked to make the lineup. Kapanen has been shuffled around on occasion but for the most part, he was waiting patiently on the fourth line. Expect him to move up.”

Who Will Be Leafs MVP?

Aren’t these debates so nice to have? The Leafs now have at least 3 players who could fit these criteria, with many more poised to surprise.

Here, Michael gives us his take on who the most vital Leaf will be.

“Pete Blackburn of CBS Sports wrote that despite the presence of both Matthews and Tavares, Andersen will be critical to the team’s success. He also mentioned Andersen should be in consideration for the Hart Memorial Trophy if the Leafs have a great campaign.

Given that the Leafs have yet to address their back-end nor identified their backup goaltender, it seems Andersen is destined to face a huge workload once again. If he performs well despite the pressure, then he should definitely be considered the Leafs’ MVP.”

Thanks for reading! With training camp two weeks away, keep your eyes peeled to Editor in Leaf as we ramp up our coverage.