Maple Leafs Stacked At All Positions, Making Them Elite

As the Toronto Maple Leafs push through the pre-season, one thing is clear: there are too many good players for too few open positions.

At every facet of the game, the Leafs have intense competition. In goal, Ilya Samsonov will be the starter more often than not.
Behind him, youngster Joseph Woll is projected as the No. 2; and at No. 2A, there’s veteran Martin Jones, who could be plucked off waivers by a team in need of netminding (see the Tampa Bay Lightning). But after Samsonov and Woll, the depth chart includes young prospects Keith Petruzzelli and Dennis Hildeby. That gives the Buds ample depth to get them through injuries and underwhelming play.

Similarly, the Leafs are bubbling over with talent on defense. Besides the presence of regulars Morgan Rielly, T.J. Brodie, John Klingberg, Jake McCabe, Mark Giordano and Timothy Liljegren, there’s intense competition for the seventh and eighth spots on the blueline. Connor Timmins, Simon Benoit, and a slew of young prospect defensemen are going to push the envelope and make life very tough on Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe. Injuries would give Timmins and Benoit a golden opportunity to step in and step up, but it’s not going to be a clear and easy path for the extra Leafs D-men.

But it’s upfront at forward where the Leafs have the most ferocious competition for jobs. At center, stars Auston Matthews, John Tavares and William Nylander have been used down the middle at training camp, and that lineup setup pushes defense-minded pivot David Kampf to the fourth-line center position. But there’s an intense battle at that spot, with youngsters including Pontus Holmberg, Dylan Gambrell and training camp invitee Noah Gregor all aiming to be a fourth-liner for the Buds.

The competition is even crazier on Toronto’s wings: Tyler Bertuzzi, Mitch Marner, Max Domi and Calle Jarnkroc are assured of NHL jobs, and rookie Matthew Knies almost assuredly will be starting the season on one of the top-two Leafs forward lines. That leaves three open spots, and the people competing for them will be youngster Nick Robertson, second-year-Leaf Sam Lafferty, enforcer Ryan Reaves, and AHL players including Bobby McMann, Alex Steeves, and Nick Abruzzese. And that’s to say nothing of up-and-coming prospects including Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten, Max Ellis and Ty Voit.

Around Full Press Hockey

NHL Rumors: NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators

NHL:  NHL Breakout Players – Metropolitan Division Pt. I

PWHL: In Hainsight: Chevrie Appointed as Head Coach of Montreal’s PWHL Franchise

Full Press Hockey Weekly:  Ep 67: Karlsson Trade, Matt Dumba Signs, NHL News and Notes

PODCAST: Ep 69: NHL Preseason, Rumors, Mike Babcock Saga

WANT MORE PODCASTS? Check Out Some Of The Latest From Around The FPC Network

As you can see, the Leafs are very well-stocked at every position. When the injury bug comes calling – and we all agree and accept that all NHL teams will be dealing with wounded warriors at some point every season – Toronto’s depth is going to be one of its strongest suits. Leafs GM Brad Treliving has no salary cap space to use on in-season improvements to the roster, but the way things are stacking up, Treliving will be able to rely on internal solutions to injuries. The AHL’s Toronto Marlies are going to be a competitive bunch, and that’s only going to make the adjustment from the AHL to the NHL easier on players transitioning to hockey’s top league from its minor-league affiliate.

Some training camp success stories should be taken with a grain of salt, as we’re all well-aware of the difference in competitive energy between the pre-and-regular-seasons. But what we’ve seen of the Leafs thus far in the pre-season should make Buds fans very confident. Toronto is going to be one of the top teams in the entire NHL, and expectations deserve to be as high as possible for them.

It’s truly going to require a team effort to propel the Leafs to the top of the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. But Toronto has more than enough talent to get that job done, and their all-around depth will be a key driver of this season’s results.