4 Players Who Could Surprisingly Make Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs could look a lot different this season.
During every camp, there’s always a player who surprises everyone. Whether it’s a rookie, a veteran or someone who was signed to a PTO, someone shocks the roster and competes for a roster spot.
This season should be no different.
Toronto’s roster has a number of similar components but a lot are different. Their defensive pairings will be almost identical to last season, with the exception of Zach Bogosian leaving for Tampa Bay. Whereas, the Leafs top four forwards remain untouched.
However, there will be a fight for a few bottom-six forward positions, as well as the sixth and seventh defenseman spot.
It’s possible that those spots will be given to players many Leafs fans already know, but it’s also likely that an unfamiliar face will be rewarded. Although training camp is still roughly two months away and the team could still have a few moves up their sleeves, Toronto’s roster seems locked in.
They may sign another defenseman or make a trade, but it feels like any move they make will happen after the regular season starts, as this team tries to figure out where they should upgrade after playing a few games.
Although they’ve lost Zach Hyman and Freddie Andersen, you could argue that this roster is more balanced.
Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner should be even better than they were last year, so with the continuation and development of their game, Toronto should be a playoff team once again, and then we shall see what happens when they get there.
Regardless, here are four players who could surprisingly crack the opening night lineup.
No. 1: Josh Ho-Sang
The 25-year-old was a former first-round pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft and has not lived up to his potential.
Ho-Sang averaged a point-per-game in junior hockey and seemed like a player who could develop into a Nazem Kadri type of role. Someone who could score, but also be a pest against the other team.
However, once he was drafted, his character was quickly questioned with the New York Islanders and he was never able to crack a regular roster spot. In 53 career games, Ho-Sang has 24 points (stats: hockeydb.com), so he has shown some offensive flare at the highest-level, but his attitude is what pushed him out of the organization.
Based on his age and the fact that he hasn’t played an NHL game in two seasons, this is probably his last chance at becoming an everyday NHLer. Also, as a Toronto native, you’d have to think that Ho-Sang will bring his best attitude and skillset forward, as he looks to make his hometown team’s roster.
Since Ho-Sang was signed to a PTO, he’ll be in desperation mode to make the roster and live out his dream of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs. As such, that could propel him to making the Leafs opening night lineup.
Toronto doesn’t have a ton of scoring in their bottom-six, so if Ho-Sang can showcase that in training camp, he could very well make the team and get a second chance at living his NHL dream.
No. 2: Brennan Menell
After Toronto acquired Menell from the Minnesota Wild and eventually signed him to a one-year deal, there wasn’t much buzz around him. Since he only has five NHL games of experience, he’s been flying under-the-radar, despite being someone who could make the opening night roster.
Menell is a relatively small defenseman, standing tall at 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, but it fits his skillset. Tony Ferrari, of DobberProspects, described Menell’s game in October, 2019 in a way that should excite many Leafs fans:
“While it’s not an overly powerful shot, he locates it very well, often getting it through a crowd and creating rebounds in front of the net. It’s quite effective at the top of a power play. His defensive development since the start of the season has been impressive, to say the least, as he uses his skating to get into good positions or recover when things don’t go so well. With his upside likely being a second pairing NHLer with the potential to run a second PP unit, he is getting closer to playing for his hometown team.”
Menell played in the KHL last season with the Minsk Dynamo and showed a ton of offensive upside finishing third on the team in points, with 38 points in 47 games played. Although that’s an impressive season, we should be cautious with assuming that his KHL numbers will translate to the NHL right away.
Everyone thought that Mikko Lehtonen would be a top-four defenseman after leading the KHL in defensive scoring in the previous year, but he ended up scoring 0 goals in 26 NHL games last year.
We should be cautious with expectations for Menell, but fortunately for Toronto Maple Leafs fans, he did grow up playing North American style hockey, so his game should translate better than Lehtonen did.
As a right-shot defenseman, Menell may have a better chance at cracking the roster, as his only other competitor would be Timothy Liljegren, if the Leafs want to go with three righty’s and three lefty’s. However we’ll have to wait and see what happens.
Speaking of Liljegren…
No. 3: Timothy Liljegren
Every time I look at Liljegren’s age and when he was drafted, it shocks me. The 17th overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft is only 22-years-old, despite it feeling like he’s been in the system for a decade.
22-years-old is still incredibly young to make an impact in the NHL. The beloved Zach Hyman didn’t crack an everyday NHL lineup until he was 24-years-old, so we all need to be patient with Liljegren. However, with one year left on his Entry Level Contract, that patience may be wearing thin as the Toronto Maple Leafs would love to have him in the lineup at his cheapest possible cost.
With only 13 NHL games of experience, it’s not like his next contract will be $10M AAV or anything like that, but it’s always nicer to have an Entry Level Contract outperform their worth.
The right-handed shot defenseman has played great with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL, as such, he seems ready to be given a longer opportunity with the Leafs. It’s much harder to make a difference and show that you’re deserving of a long-term commitment when you’re playing once a month, so Toronto should seriously consider him to be the No. 6 or 7 defenseman, playing every night or splitting time with either Rasmus Sandin, Travis Dermott and/or Brennan Menell.
Even if Liljegren doesn’t crack the opening night roster, he shouldn’t be a player that people consider a bust, because he still has a ton of potential to be an everyday NHLer for a long time.
No. 4: Joey Anderson
When Anderson eventually cracks the Leafs everyday roster, fans are going to be laughing at the fact that they were able to acquire him for Andreas Johnsson.
The 23-year-old right-winger is only 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, but he plays bigger than his size would indicate. He’s been known to be a pest at times, and isn’t afraid to throw his body around to hit. He’s a great skater, who can forecheck admirably and would fit perfectly in an energy/grinding role on the third-line.
Anderson doesn’t provide a ton of offense, but his defensive game is one of his bright spots. As a result, he could be someone who helps out on the penalty-kill or plays a shutdown role.
Toronto has a lot of sill, but they don’t have enough players who can shutdown the opponent’s top-line. The Montreal Canadiens did a great job with this against the Toronto Maple Leafs last postseason, so Toronto could learn something from them and create their own defensive shutdown line.
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Anderson signed a three-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs last year, so Kyle Dubas clearly thinks highly of him and is someone he sees playing in the NHL, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him given an opportunity this year.