Veteran Toronto Maple Leafs Players in Danger of Losing Their Roster Spots
Young prospects like Easton Cowan and Fraser Minter want to crack the Leafs lineup. Some experienced players will be in a fight for their roster spot when training camp begins.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a compelling competition for roster spots when training camp begins in September.
The most interesting story will be tracking the progress and watching recent draft picks Easton Cowan and Fraser Minten attempt to crack the lineup.
They were the top story during last year's preseason when they pleasantly surprised the Leafs brass and fans alike with their play.
Cowan earned a long look and played more preseason games than expected before being returned to the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights where he had a dominant season. Minten played four games with the Maple Leafs before also being sent back to junior.
A strong 2023-2024 year of development from both have them looking to take the next step.
Minten can go play in the AHL, but if Easton Cowan doesn't make the Leafs, he will have to go back to junior, which, given how he dominated his previous season there, seems pointless.
Cowan will likely have to choke in order to fail to make the team, while Minten was good enough to make it last season, so both players have at least a decent chance of making it.
But they aren't the only players trying to make the Leafs roster.
Alex Steeves, assuming he re-signs, has apprenticed in the AHL for a long time and is NHL ready for the fourth line.
Topi Niemela is coming off a successful rookie season in the AHL and will challange for minutes on the blue-line.
Then there is the Leafs plethora of wingers: Nylander, Domi, Knies and Marner in the top-six, followed by Nick Robertson Bobby McMann and Calle Jarnkrok make seven wingers for six spots.
And if the Leafs were to add a centre, where does Pontus Holmberg play? As you can see, there will be a lot of competition at Leafs camp. So who is in danger of losing their roster spot?
Veteran Toronto Maple Leafs Players in Danger of Losing Their Roster Spot
David Kampf knows his role and plays within his limits. He's unexciting but gets the job done as a fourth-line center.
Or does he? Kampf lost his minutes last year playing on the fourth line, mostly with Ryan Reaves on what was an incredibly expensive fourth line for what it brought to the table.
Former coach Sheldon Keefe liked Kampf's responsibility, especially for defensive zone starts, penalty killing, and face-offs.
That's comforting, but he doesn't score enough to justify a top-nine role and his salary is preposterous for the fourht line.
Kampf offers little offensively. He has only surpassed double-digit goals once in his career. He has scored over twenty-five points just twice in his seven seasons.
New Leafs coach Craig Berube probably prefers more physical play and offensive upside from his bottom six forwards. It's hard to know what a new coach wants, but common sense says that a team that is far from perfect could better spend the extra money they are spending on unnecessary players.
Kampf also earns $2.4 million, way too much for his role. The Maple Leafs have a cheaper alternative that does the same job in Pontus Holmberg.
It would be a shock if the Leafs keep Kampf at that salary. Holmberg or Minten would be a better choice. Finding a trade partner for Kampf is the right move.
Other Vets Whose Jobs Are In Jeopardy
Signing Ryan Reaves to a long-term deal was a confusing, inexplicable move. His start to last season was disastrous.
He clearly wasn't and isn't an NHL player and yet he somehow got into 49 games and five playoff games last season. In two of those playoff games his poor play led directly to the opening goal twice.
Since Berube played a similar role to Reaves during his NHL career, he might have a soft spot for the bruising forward and what he brings to the team. Then again, he's a professional who is likely able to avoid. making emotional decisions.
Reaves may bring positive things to the team off the ice, but that's impossible to measure.
On the ice though, players of his type and their influence on a game's outcome are minimal in today's NHL. Reaves does not contribute to special teams.
Reaves' situation seems destined to follow that of Wayne Simmonds. He likely plays in a handful of games (25-35) and spends most of his time as a healthy scratch or sent to the Toronto Marlies if salary cap space is needed.
The Leafs would be better served with Cowan, Minten, or a deserving Marlie such as Alex Steeves playing over Reaves.
Reaves was an embarssingly bad contract and it made no sense at the time. It makes even less sense now.
Another player whose job is likely in jeopardy is Calle Jarnkrok. Like Reaves and Kampf, he makes too much for what he does, and his age and injury history make him an obvious candidate to move on a team with too many wingers and a bunch of young players looking to take his minutes.
Liljegren and Benoit
It took a little while for restricted free-agent defenseman Timothy Liljegren and the Leafs to decide they wanted to continue their partnership. Both sides eventually agreed to a two-year extension.
Despite the commitment, it feels as though the former first-round pick's status is to be determined. After three full NHL seasons, the Leafs are unsure of what they have.
Liljegren is an adept puck-mover with offensive skill but has yet to find consistency and develop into a reliable top-four defenseman. Part of that can be blamed on Keefe's lack of confidence and trust in his play, as Liljegren has shown he can dominate 3rd pairing minutes at least.
With Berube at the helm, a new opportunity presents itself for Liljegren. For now, he is safely entrenched among the top six, but a slow start to the year without any progress in his play could see the Maple Leafs ready to move on. They made a similar decision with former first-rounder Rasmus Sandin.
His contract, short term at a reasonable salary, provides no barriers to a move. He is only 25 years old. Working in his favor is that the Leafs defense looks to have Jake McCabe, Chris Tanev and Simon Benoit - all of whom are below average puck-movers, meaning Liljegren has rare skills that the Leafs are going to need on a nightly basis.
More likely to lose his job to a propect like Niemela or Kokkanen is Simon Benoit who looks to be the Leafs #6 for now, but who was almost replaced earlier in the summer by Jani Hakanpaa.
Benoit's position as a regular is tenous at best, and he could easily lose his minutes to a puck-mover with higher upside.
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Tracking the prospects of Niemela, Cowan and Minten will be the highlight of the Toronto Maple Leafs preseason. Their talent and potential might leave the Leafs no choice but to say goodbye to some veteran players.