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Toronto Maple Leafs: The Battles for the Last Few Roster Spots

By David Corcoran

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 08: Fraser Minten, #38 pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning, poses for a portrait during the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JULY 08: Fraser Minten, #38 pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning, poses for a portrait during the 2022 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bell Centre on July 08, 2022 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Toronto Maple Leafs head into the final few days of training camp which include the last two preseason games with what looks to be more unknowns for roster spots than in previous years.

Going into the season, with the risk of William Nylander leaving next summer and just two years left on Mitch Marner, the Toronto Maple Leafs need to be all-in.  In that aspect, they need to be quick to correct mistakes that may have occurred during the summer or even in years past.

It has now been over four months since Brad Treliving has taken over the role as General Manager of the Leafs and he has taken the direction of sitting back to see what type of team he has in front of him.

The obvious points are that he has world class talent up front in Nylander and Marner, along with two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner Auston Matthews.

The superstars are supported by enough young talent that the team should be contending for a Stanley Cup and not just making it through a playoff round or two.  With that being the case, no matter the name, no matter the contract, if there is a better player whether it be an 18-year old or a 40-year old, the player that makes the team the best should be playing.

It is time to no longer worry about burning years of entry level contracts or losing players to waivers, it is time to go with the best roster available to you.

Heading into the last weekend before the season starts, their should be just eight forwards and four defenseman comfortable with spots on the Maple Leafs roster.

For the final three to four forward positions, some of the veterans are going to get pushed for the final spot which could leave a few players exposed to waivers.

The question is whether or not coach Sheldon Keefe and GM Treliving have the courage to make some of the tough decisions heading into the season.

The eight different forwards that have secured their spots on the roster include: Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, Tyler Bertuzzi, Max Domi, David Kampf and Matthew Knies.

In total, those nine names take up approximately $52.43 Million of the salary cap space.

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