#2. Kenny Agostino
This was a toss-up between Agostino and Nic Petan, but I think the Toronto Maple Leafs would prefer to keep Agostino on standby despite Petan playing 16 games with the Leafs this year.
Based on Luke Fox’s tweet below, it was mentioned that Marlies coach Greg Moore was really impressed with Agostino’s development.
For a 27-year-old who’s only played 85 NHL games, it would be very beneficial to the Leafs organization to keep him on standby during this time.
Agostino still has one year left on his contract, so it would be a huge confidence boost to keep him close to practice everyday. Agostino led the Marlies in scoring this season with 49 points in 53 games, so although he may never get into the NHL line-up this year, it would be a reward to show him he’s in the company of the other Leafs and could be a player that makes the leap soon.
There are few question marks with the Leafs bottom-six heading into next year as well, so if Agostino were to prove that he can skate with the big club, he could be a very valuable piece to the organization, especially with a salary of $737,500.
Agostino has showed his skill in the AHL so it’s time for the Leafs to get a serious look at him in an NHL jersey, even if it’s just on standby.