The Toronto Maple Leafs training camp has been far more exciting than anyone probably thought.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are an elite team who is a favourite to win this year’s Stanley Cup. As such, there were not thought to be many jobs available in training camp.
There still probably aren’t, but the Leafs would be smart change that.
Failing to capitalize on the hype and excitement that their prospects have brought to the team would be a major mistake.
The team is over the cap, their bottom six is so bad that their entertaining moving Nylander to centre, and their defense is easily the worst out of any contender.
But suddenly they are flush with prospects and they should be calling some audibles when it comes to roster construction.
Toronto Maple Leafs Need to Capitalize on the Hype
One of the major frustrations I have had with the dawn of the Brad Treliving Ear was the addition of unnecessary role players who may have name-brand recognition, but who are expensive and don’t appear to be more than replacement players if you dig into their statistical profiles.
I’m talking Domi, Klingberg , Kampf and Reaves – $11 million dollars of the most poorly spent TML money since David Clarkson was signed.
Obviously these guys are on the roster, and who knows, they may even work out. But the risk was always that they were going to block better players and that seems to now be the case for sure.
Pontus Holmberg and Alex Steeves should be on the 4th line, not Sam Lafferty and David Kampf, but that isn’t even the least of our concerns anymore.
Not after the dazzling training camp by four of the Leafs top prospects.
Matthews Knies will start in the NHL for sure.
Nick Robertson is a question mark, but he’s likely to be on the team sooner than later, even if he doesn’t break camp with the Leafs. (It would be a massive mistake if he didn’t).
But Easton Cowen and Fraser Minten are the real finds of this year’s Leafs camp. Both of them could play in the NHL right now. They won’t, but maybe they should.
Entry-level deals are the key to success. How much better would this team be with multiple sub-million dollar players making an impact? I have lost count how many times I’ve written an article about how developing starts outside the top-ten would give the Leafs a major boost towards winning a Stanley Cup.
Now is the time, and they can’t turn their back on it.
The opportunity to ditch expensive role players and set up a team of exciting young stars is incredible exciting – unfortunately, for Cowen and Easton, next season is likely more realistic. Still, if it was up to me they’d both make the team.
Having Robertson, Knies, Cowen and Easton to augment the core-four is incredibly exciting, and it gives the Leafs options.
If they need to get under the cap, they can do so now and still dress a great team, one potentially even better.
They can also use this to finally settle the Nylander situation. They are desperate for an elite player to play on their blue-line and with 4 x incoming potential star forwards, making the move from strength to weakness is an even more obvious move now than it was last week.
Liljegren needs to be in the top-four. Holmberg and Steeves should be on the roster. Robertson needs a scoring role, and Cowen and Minten should be given 9 games and the opportunity to never play junior again. (To say nothing of Joseph Woll who, if he builds on last year will win the crease and be a superstar himself).
The Toronto Maple Leafs have, ironically, thanks to their old GM, entered the most exciting phase of their team building since Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner were rookies. Ignoring the options this gives them – especially when they are over the cap and their blue-line stinks – would be criminal.