Toronto Maple Leafs Can’t Cut Robertson, Malgin or Aston-Reese

The Toronto Maple Leafs say all the right things about professionalism and leadership, but it’s time to take the best players available.

Toronto Maple Leafs camp opened with no real jobs available beyond the fourth line.

Maybe the play was always to let Robertson have a shot at usurping Kerfoot, but with all the injuries, we’ll never know.

What we do know is that after what seems like four months of training camp, Nick Robertson, Denis Malkin and Zach Aston-Reese all deserve to make this team.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Need to Ice the Best Possible Roster

Nick Robertson is clearly an NHL player.

There is this weird thing Leafs fans do –  because they have it in their mind that every enthusiastic fan is somehow an embarrassment to them (like anyone cares + an adult who cares about sports should be beyond embarrassment IMO, I know I am) they go too far in the other direction and underrate their team.

You’ll know these jokesters by the way they disparage Robertson’s AHL domination, his excellent NHL play so far, and his size.  He’s going to be a star, just like his brother, and I doubt he ever plays another game in the AHL.

Tavares likely misses a few games, and so Robertson is likely on the team (keeping him out of the NHL because you don’t want to lose Adam Gaudette would be an insult and a horrible move) along with Kerfoot – for now.  (I still see no way Kerfoot stays on this team if Robertson takes his job, as he instantly becomes more valuable as a trade chip).

Wayne Simmonds was way better for the Toronto Maple Leafs than I thought he’d be, but it’s time for the team to go in another direction.

Denis Malgin will not only save the Leafs 200K on the salary cap over Simmonds, he is just way better at this point.  Whatever physical and leadership edges Simmonds offers over Malgin don’t make up for the fact that Malgin is faster, more talented and ten years younger.  Plus he can play higher in the lineup, and Simmonds no longer offers that flexibility.

Malgin earned the spot and that’s that, he deserves a shot.

As for Zach Aston-Reese, he gives you everything you would hope to get from Kyle Clifford or Wayne Simmonds, but he’s way younger and provides excellent, possibly elite, defense.

A healthy Leafs lineup should look like this:

Bunting-Matthews-Marner

Robertson-Tavares-Nylander

Engvall – Kampf – Jarnkrok

Malgin – Kerfoot – Reese 

Obviously Alex Kerfoot can’t be on the fourth line, but until he is traded,  that’s the best they can do. At that point, if they want to bring in Gaudette, or Nicholas Aube-Kubal or Alex Steeves, or Pontus Holmbeg, or even Simmonds or Clifford, they can.

But if the  Toronto Maple Leafs are intent with handing out jobs due to merit and not trying to keep everyone and avoid waivesr, that’s their best lineup.