3 Players the Toronto Maple Leafs Should Consider for a PTO

The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent poorly this summer, and subsequently are still over the salary cap.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have spent to the cap (as they shoudl) for almost half a decade now, and with that, filling out their team with “notable” depth players has been a necessity.

Hard to complain, however, since for the last four seasons they have been a Cup Contender, played .650 + hockey, and are have several times dressed what has (at the very least) been one of the NHL’s deepest teams.

One way they have been able to do this over the last little while has been by signing players to a Professional Tryout contract (PTO).

A PTO allows a player to participate in a team’s training camp. Once training camp concludes, the team can decide whether or not they want to sign the player.

If the player is signed, it is usually a one-year, league-minimum contract. The Toront Maple Leafs have utilized PTOs in the past.

One player who was signed off a PTO just last season was Zach Aston Reese. He was a steady fourth-line player for the Leafs, who contributed on the defensive side of the puck, earning him a spot on the Leafs penalty kill.

The signing of Aston Reese led to Nicholas Aube-Kebel being placed on waivers and later claimed by the Washington Capitals.

Aube Kebel had been signed early in the offseason and was expected to contribute in what ended up being Aston Reese’s role.

The switch saved the  Leafs $159,270 in cap space, which makes a difference when four of your players are taking up nearly half of the salary cap. (all stats hockeydb.com, all cap info from capfriendly.com).

So, are there any players that the Leafs could sign to PTOs ahead of training camp in September?

Josh Leivo:

Leivo was originally drafted by the Leafs in 2011, in the third round, 86th overall.

He played part of six seasons with the Leafs before moving on to Vancouver in the 2018-19 season.

Since being traded by Toront Maple Leafs in 2018, Josh Leivo has played on four different NHL teams, including the Calgary Flames, meaning that Treliving is familiar with the Ontario native.

One of Leivo’s strengths has always been his sneaky scoring touch which provides secondary offence.

He has 93 points and 42 goals in 265 career NHL Games.

His commitment to the defensive side of the puck makes him a reliable penalty killer and a great 200-foot player.

Leivo’s determination and work ethic sets a positive example for his teammates and can be a part of the culture change that some think this team needs to win more than just a single playoff round.

Similarly to Comtois, Leivo has played up and down the lineup his whole career making him a prime candidate for a  Leafs team that will need versatile players, barring any injuries.

He played last season in St. Louis and is a UFA.

Libor Hajek:

Libor Hajek is a 6’2 left-handed defenceman who is a smooth, deceptive skater but struggles at making the smart play in his defensive zone.

When he broke into the league in 2019-20, he played 28 games alongside Jacob Trouba on the Rangers top pair.

Since then, Hajek was slowly demoted down the lineup until last year, when he was no longer a top 6 defenseman and was sitting in the press box most nights.

That being said, a player who once was praised for his defensive prowess could make a comeback with a new team and system. After all, the coaching change from David Quinn to Gerrard Gallant in the summer of 2021 was the turning point in Hajek’s career.

Going from Quinn’s high-effort, 200-foot hockey to Gallant’s exuberant, offensive-based approach may have been one that did not benefit Hajek.

Considering that Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe has a very effective five-man defensive system on their side of the blueline, Hajek would fit right in with the team’s style of play and could be a cheaper alternative to Connor Timmins.

As training camp nears, potential PTO signings like Maxime Comtois, Josh Leivo, and Libor Hajek could provide much-needed depth and fit within the Toronto Maple Leafs system.