The Toronto Maple Leafs won last night 4-3 in a shootout.
For the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was their second last game of the preseason and featured a roster of mostly bubble players.
For these players, it was the last chance to make an impression before the season starts next week.
This morning, the Leafs made some more cuts, and the roster is starting to take shape.
Toronto Maple Leafs Roster Cuts
According to Leafs P.R the team has cut the following players:
Pontus Aberg, Ben Harpur, Tyler Gaudet and Jordan Schmaltz.
Assuming this foursome passes through waivers, the Leafs have a very nice group of players available for call up when and if injuries occur later. The removal of Harpur and Schmaltz all but guarantees that Martin Marincin and Rasmus Sandin will open the season as the Leafs third pairing.
It’s also doubtful Sandin only gets a nine game audition (to avoid burning year one of his entry level contract) since risking Schmaltz and Harpur on waivers to do that would be pretty irresponsible.
Last night Sandin led all Toronto Maple Leafs players with over 30 minutes of ice time, while putting up a beauty 54% CF. This guy has to play in the NHL. (stats naturalstattrick.com).
Besides the four players who need waivers to go to the AHL, the Leafs also demoted Darren Archibald, Jeremy Bracco, Adam Brooks, Rich Clune, Hudson Elynuik, Pierre Engvall and Teemu Kivihalme.
This still leaves 34 players on the Leafs roster, so more cuts will probably happen tomorrow.
Matt Read, Kalle Kossila, Timothy Liljegren, Garrett Wilson, Joseph Woll, Kevin Gravel, Dymtro Timashov, Nick Shore, Nic Petan, Yegor Korshkev, Kenny Agostino, Justin Holl and Mason Marchment remain on the bubble.
That is 13 players, and nine of them would need to be cut, assuming the Leafs carry the 23 man max roster and add Travis Dermott and Zach Hyman to the LTIR before the season starts.
Now, cap considerations might alter that, but assuming a 23 man roster, means that only really Shore, Petan, Agostino and Holl have any real chance of making the team.
One assumes Holl will be the 7th defenseman, while Petan and Shore most likely start the season joining him in the pressbox.
So, barring any last minute surprises, your opening night roster looks like this:
Johnson – Matthews – Nylander
Kapanen – Tavares – Marner
Mikheyev – Kerfoot – Moore
Agostingo – Gauthier – Spezza
Rielly – Ceci
Muzzin – Barrie
Sandin – Marincin
Andersen / Hutchinson
+ Moore, Holl and Petan.
That is, more or less, how we saw it working out a month ago. The top six is unbelievable, and the overall depth of this roster is insane.
This is the most exciting Toronto Maple Leafs roster ever assembled during my lifetime, and I cannot wait till Wednesday.
Go Leafs!