With only four more days until the 2018/2019 NHL regular season begins, the opening night roster for the Toronto Maple Leafs is still open for debate.
When Kyle Dubas signed John Tavares on Canada Day this past summer, it was the start of a new era for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tyler Bozak and his winger of 6 seasons James Van Riemsdyk rightfully explored the free agent market and each cashed in on a new contract; Bozak signing with the St. Louis Blues, and JVR heading back to the Philadelphia Flyers. Leo Komarov, Roman Polak, and Matt Martin also parted ways with the Leafs organization, opening up 4 forward positions, and one spot for a defenseman.
The Toronto Maple Leafs roster during training camp and pre-season has been a continuous dogfight for the plethora of young talent in the organization who want to take the next step and start the year with the big club.
The Kids Are Alright
One of the benefits of having a lot of young talent in an organization is being able to control their development without the worry of losing them to the NHL waiver wire.
Exempt From Waivers:
FORWARDS
Trevor Moore, Carl Grundstrom, Pierre Engvall, Jeremy Bracco, Mason Marchment, Adam Brooks, Dmytro Timashov, Semyon Der-Arguchintsev
DMEN
Igor Ozhiganov, Calle Rosen, Andreas Borgman, Rasmus Sandin, Timothy Liljegren, Andrew Nielsen, Travis Dermott
The Toronto Maple Leafs released an updated 26-man roster today, which will have to be cut down to 23 in the coming days.
At The Edge Of The Cliff
Needs Waivers To Clear:
FORWARDS
Frederik Gauthier, Adam Cracknell, Chris Mueller, Josh Jooris
DMEN
Jordan Subban, Vincent LoVerde, Martin Marincin, Justin Holl, Connor Carrick
The Netminder Nightmare
GOALIES
Garret Sparks– $675k (needs waivers to clear)
Calvin Pickard– $800k (needs waivers to clear)
Curtis McElhinney– $850k (needs waivers to clear)
Waiver Predictions
The players I predicted to hit the waiver wire for the Toronto Maple Leafs came at no surprise to anyone. Forwards Adam Cracknell, Chris Mueller, and Josh Jooris have been placeholders during training camp and if they manage to clear waivers; they will be solid depth options for the Toronto Marlies.
Forwards:
Adam Cracknell (put on waivers today)
Chris Mueller (put on waivers today)
Josh Jooris (put on waivers today)
Frederick Gauthier (still on the active roster)
Gauthier’s time in Toronto, at least at the NHL level; has come and gone. Gauthier has survived the first cut, but as soon as tomorrow he could find himself on the waiver wire. If Gauthier can pass through waivers, he will continue to be an important role player for the Toronto Marlies.
DMEN:
Martin Marincin (still on the active roster)
Vincent LoVerde (put on waivers today)
Jordan Subban (put on waivers today)
The Toronto Marlies may have lost Travis Dermott, Andreas Johnsson and potentially Justin Holl; but they will likely add some fresh new faces this fall with the likes of Rasmus Sandin and potentially Jordan Subban if he squeaks past waivers after a lacklustre season last year.
Trade Predictions
Sparks/Carrick/Pickard/McElhinney/Marincin
The Maple Leafs would be wise to get at least something in return for Connor Carrick and the plethora of goaltenders they have, instead of potentially losing them off waivers. This is why Kyle Dubas has kept all 4 goalies on the active roster, along with Connor Carrick and Martin Marincin.
David Pagnotta reported rumblings of a potential Connor Carrick trade.
If the Leafs can package Carrick and Sparks with a few non-roster players and get a late pick or 2, it would be a lot better than losing players for nothing.
Roster Projection
FORWARDS
With the absence of William Nylander at training camp and unsigned mere days before the 2018/2019 NHL regular season starts, it opens a spot for Tyler Ennis to play on the top line with Patrick Marleau and Auston Matthews. Ennis has looked very solid on the top line and should be a good stop-gap until Nylander is signed a new contract.
Andreas Johnsson has had a tough training camp and has had little impact playing on the 4th line. Johnsson will have to battle to keep his spot when Nylander returns, especially when competing with Tyler Ennis and the always forgotten Josh Leivo; who has had a very good camp, looking to finally solidify a full-time spot on the Maple Leafs roster.
DMEN
Both Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman can clear waivers, and by clearing them today; the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the position to keep Justin Holl off the waiver wire. Holl is on a fresh 2-year deal signed this past summer with an easily manageable cap hit. This is a contract that can become extremely valuable for the Leafs, especially if Holl can quickly translate his strong possession and skating game from the AHL and bring it to the NHL on a consistent basis.
Carrick and Ozhiganov are both on 1-year deals; with the future for both players long-term still in question. For $1.3M, Carrick is the odd man out for trade or simply put on waivers in the coming days. Ozhiganov is eligible to be sent down to the Marlies at any time during the season, although I have him replacing Carrick at least to start off the season.
GOALTENDERS
Curtis McElhinney stops pucks. Regardless of Curtis’ age, he has proven during his time in Toronto that he can get the job done; and done well. I think it is wise to keep McElhinney and Pickard on the starting roster, at least from the get-go.
Goalie injuries happen every season in the NHL, and having 2 NHL calibre backups on the roster can boost value to either Pickard or McElhinney if a team is desperate to replace an injured goaltender.
Who do you think makes the 2018/2019 Toronto Maple Leafs Roster?
Statistics provided by: HockeyReference, EliteProspects, CapFriendly