3 Players Who Could Surprisingly Make Toronto Maple Leafs

Training camp is around the corner for the Toronto Maple Leafs, which could result in a few surprising players making the roster this season.

Although it may feel like the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is set, there are always a few surprises come opening night.

Whether it’s a rookie making the last roster spot or a veteran on a PTO coming out of nowhere, there’s always someone you don’t expect who ends up on the team.

Don’t get me wrong, this roster will still look very familiar between now and opening night, but I still feel like a trade is looming.

A William Nylander or TJ Brodie trade seem somewhat unlikely but someone like Calle Jarnkrok could be on the move.

The Leafs roster is currently above the salary cap and there seems to be too much money at the bottom-half of this roster, so something needs to give.

The fact that this team is paying third-liners and fourth liners multiple millions per year (Max Domi – $3M, David Kampf – $2.4M, Calle Jarnkrok -$2.1M) is bizarre to me and the team would be in a much better spot to promote a cheap contract who can do essentially the same thing.

Let’s look at three players who could surprisingly make the Leafs roster this year.

Toronto Maple Leafs Surprise Player No. 1: Bobby McMann

The 27-year-old forward is a slow-blooming centre, but could slide into a left-wing position with the Leafs.

McMann really came into his own last year as he was a goal-scoring machine, registering 21 goals in 30 games.

That is a truly insane amount of production, and while he obviously isn’t going to keep that up, it should be enough to get him a real NHL audition.

At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, McMann’s size and offensive upside makes him a strong candidate to eventually become a full-time NHLer.

With a strong ability to drive the net, McMann would be a welcomed sight on the power-play.

Not only has he shown that he can score at an elite level, but he’s been a strong two-way forward in Toronto.

Based on his contract, McMann would be someone to keep your eye on to play third or fourth-line minutes this year and if Toronto really wanted to balance their roster, I wouldn’t be against seeing what he has beside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

The Leafs currently have Nick Robertson, Matthew Knies, Calle Jarnkrok, Max Domi and Sam Lafferty as left-wing options, so if McMann has a strong training camp, don’t be shocked if he finds his way into the line-up.

No. 3: Noah Gregor

Signed to a PTO earlier this week, Noah Gregor is an intriguing option.

Although he’s the most recent Toronto Maple Leafs signing, and even though Zack Aston-Reese did it last year, it’s still extremely rare for a player on a PTO to make a contender out of camp.

Gregor would be a surprising pick to make the Leafs roster, but don’t be shocked if he does.

Pontus Holmberg may be written in as the fourth-line centre right now, but if Gregor has a great try-out, he could get the job ahead of Holmberg.

And that’s not to exclude Holmber – who is fairly promising – from possibly winning a job higher in the lineup.

With 178 games of NHL experience, Gregor has been a physical player throughout his career in the bottom-six of the line-up, which could give him a step-up on Holmberg.

Brad Treliving continues to add physical players and Gregor is no different. However, not only does he have that physical toughness but he showed some offensive upside with 10 goals last year on a terrible San Jose Sharks team.

For Toronto Maple Leafs fans, you’d probably love to see Holmberg in the line-up because he’s been in the system for a few years and you’d love to see what he’s all about, however Gregor seems like more of a Treliving pick who could crack the line-up on opening night.