3 Players Who Could Surprisingly Make Toronto Maple Leafs
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. 2: Topi Niemela
If you look at the Toronto Maple Leafs roster right now, the biggest problem they currently have is on defense.
Their entire defensive group is terrible and seriously needs an upgrade.
The Leafs are lacking physical players, players with upside, and elite players. They basically need to improve on the back-end anyway they can.
It would be great to see one of the core-four forwards get traded for a top-two defenseman, but that seems unrealistic. As a result, the team may need to look within in order to better their group.
The team’s current best defensive prospect is Topi Niemela, who played six games in the AHL last season.
It’s a little worrisome that he doesn’t have a ton of experience in North America yet, so making a jump to the NHL immediately may be a stretch, but the Leafs should seriously consider him.
He’s a fantastic defenseman, who plays both sides effectively and would really help get the puck up the ice, which is Toronto’s bread and butter.
As mentioned, it may be a little early for Niemela, but at this rate, I think he could be a top-four defenseman based on the current defenseman depth they have.
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.
Next. Matthews is Better than McDavid. dark
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.