Toronto Maple Leafs: Who Will Stay and Who Will Go?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have some difficult decisions to make with just one week remaining until the 2022-23 NHL season kicks off.

Player performance during training camp isn’t the only factor that will determine whether a player makes the Toronto Maple Leafs opening night roster or not.  Injuries, cap space and waiver exemption will also play key roles in shaping the roster.

A major issue will be the injury status of players like John Tavares, Jake Muzzin and Pierre Engvall.  All three are obvious shoe-ins to make the team, but because they aren’t expected to miss 10 or more games, the Leafs won’t get any salary cap relief.

Muzzin and Engvall may be ready to start the season, but Tavares will definitely need a little more time.  Timothy Liljegren and Carl Dahlstrom will qualify for LTIR.

The are some obvious roster staples that will make this team without question, so I’m not going to mention those guys.  Of the players battling to make the team, Nick Robertson is one player I’m sure we’ll see on opening night.

Who Will Make the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Robertson is waiver exempt, and some analysts have said he may not make the team in favour of a player who may be claimed on waivers, but in my opinion, Nick Robertson is worth the risk of placing a tweener on waivers.  He’s ready for top-six minutes.

The next most likely players to fight their way into a spot are Nicholas Aube-Kubel, Denis Malgin, Adam Gaudette and Zach Aston-Reese.  All four could make the team, but there are a few factors at play.

Aston-Reese is on a PTO and the Toronto Maple Leafs currently have one contract available before they hit their max.  He could play a key roll on a shutdown line, so hopefully the Leafs can sign him to a reasonable deal.

Aube-Kubel, Malgin and Gaudette would have to be placed on waivers if they don’t make the Leafs roster.  Kubel and Gaudette were claimed by teams when they were placed on waivers last season and Malgin has had an excellent training camp, so they are all likely candidates to be claimed before they see games with the Marlies.

A few players with a glimmering hope of making the team are Pontus Holmberg, Alex Steeves, Joey Anderson, Victor Mete and Filip Kral.  They have all had great camps and will likely be some of the first players called up.

Anderson and Mete would both have to clear waivers.  Mete may be the most likely of these players to make the cut but it depends on Muzzin’s injury status or if the Leafs will have cap space for a roster beyond 20 players.

The most surprising player who may not make the opening night roster could be Wayne Simmonds.  His age may be catching up to him, but his skillset could still be used later in the season.  Same goes for Kyle Clifford.

With the team tight to the cap, a trade before the season starts looks likely as well.  The most likely target seems to be Justin Holl, but I wouldn’t count out a trade involving Alex Kerfoot or Jake Muzzin either.