3 Players Who Deserve to Make Toronto Maple Leafs Line-Up

Toronto Maple Leafs preseason is well underway and as a result, we’ve seen a few surprises already.

When evaluating the Toronto Maple Leafs roster this offseason, every position seemed like a lock. With multiple acquisitions via free agency, the team seemed set and ready for opening night.

However, as per usual, once the puck dropped, things began to change.

Whether it’s a player on a PTO, a first-round pick or someone just flying under the radar, different players begin to emerge and look NHL ready. Unfortunately, you’re limited to a 23-man roster so you can’t keep everybody, but there have definitely been a few players making a name for themselves.

3 Players Who Deserve to Make Toronto Maple Leafs Line-Up

No. 1: Noah Gregor

Gregor was an unknown heading into Training Camp because the team’s bottom-six looked crowded already, however he’s starting to prove why he deserves an NHL contract.

Toronto’s bottom-six lacked a little bit of aggression and speed, but Gregor has been able to deliver that thus far, especially when paired beside Sam Lafferty.

The salary cap will be an issue when it comes to signing Gregor, but the Leafs should still be able to make it work, but unfortunately that will probably push Nick Robertson out of the line-up. Unless Robertson is in a scoring role, I’d prefer him on the Toronto Marlies anyway and I think a fourth-line of Gregor/Lafferty and Ryan Reaves/David Kampf could work out really nice for the Leafs.

No. 2: Connor Timmins

When Timmins joined the Leafs last year, the running joke was that it was just another Soo Greyhounds player that Kyle Dubas liked, but it’s definitely more than that, because Timmins can play. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Timmins has shown some nice offensive output in preseason and seems like a better option than John Klingberg, who may not be healthy to start the season.

In 25 games last year, Timmins had 14 points and was surprisingly very good, so as someone who previously looked like the odd-man out, I think he’s making a serious case to start the season in the Leafs line-up.

No. 3: Easton Cowan

First-rounders typically have a hard time making the NHL right away, but Cowan is continuing to show that he may be ready for the leap. He’s played great thus far and his speed is NHL ready.

Not only is his speed hard to defend, but his playmaking skills have been very effective, showcasing his high hockey IQ. The Toronto Maple Leafs will probably want to see him develop for another year in junior, but his contract makes him such an interesting player to keep.

If you can get high-skill from Matthew Knies and Cowan on Entry Level contracts, you can afford to trade someone like Calle Jarnkrok or TJ Brodie to free up salary-cap space for a better defenseman, so I’m really curious to see if he can keep it up the rest of training camp.

Cowan’s definitely the least likely of the three to make the team, but it’s almost certain that two of these three will be in the team’s line-up on opening night.