Lineup Takes Shape As Toronto Maple Leafs Make Roster Moves

With only one preseason game left, the Toronto Maple Leafs are coming close to assembling their lines and predicting the perfect pairings to represent them when the puck drops on their season opener on October 13th.

After making several cuts on Tuesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is starting to take shape.

The Leafs have sent Nick Robertson, and several other players to the Toronto Marlies, including Josh Ho-Sang who signed an AHL contract (avoids waivers, and the Leafs can sign him when/if they call him up).  Nikita Gusev was released from his PTO.

The Leafs used several players last night who won’t be in the lineup when the regular season starts, but if we look at the lines that they used during their practices on Sunday and Monday, we can see what their probable lineup is going to be.

Potential Toronto Maple Leafs Line Combos

Ritchie – Matthews – Marner
Mikheyev – Tavares – Nylander
Kerfoot – Kampf – Kase
Bunting – Semyonov – Ho-Sang

Rielly – Brodie
Muzzin – Holl
Sandin – Dermott

Campbell
Mrazek

That looks like a decent lineup to me, but  Ho-Sang will start the year with the Marlies, while Semyonov is likely to be one of the final cuts. Both players appear to be standing in for Wayne Simmonds and Jason Spezza, and whichever one of Pierre Engvall and Adam Brooks that makes the team.

More Lines at Toronto Maple Leafs Camp

These were the lines of the B group:

Robertson – Amadio – Spezza
Engvall – Brooks – Simmonds
Gusev – Abramov – Seney
Anderson – Der-Arguchintsev – Gabriel

Kral – Liljegren
Dalhstrom – Biega
Menell – Rubins
Hoefenmayer – Duszak
Kivihalme – Hollowell

Hutchinson
Kallgren

Many of these players were cut on Tuesday.  The first thing I think when I see this list is that the Toronto Marlies will have a deep defense core as long as Carl Dahlström, Alex Biega, and Brennan Menell clear waivers, which they likely will.  Teemu Kivihalme has already cleared waivers and Filip Král was assigned to the Marlies on Monday.

Simmonds, Engvall and Brooks would all have to clear waivers if they don’t make the cut unless they’re traded.  Michael Amadio, Brett Seney, Joey Anderson, Kurtis Gabriel, Michael Hutchinson, and Erik Källgren would have to clear waivers as well.

Nikita Gusev’s professional tryout was not successful. TimothyLiljegren doesn’t need waivers to go down, so he seems likely to start with the Marlies.

Nothing is set in stone yet and we all know changes will happen during the season as well.  There is only a week left before opening night and those on the outside looking in don’t have much time left to impress.