Something is taking shape beneath the Maple Leafs’ NHL roster, and it might be worth paying attention to.
On Thursday, Toronto put eight players on waivers and watched all eight clear, setting up assignments to the Marlies for Brendan Brisson, Vinni Lettieri, Steven Lorentz, Michael Pezzetta, Henrik Rybinski, Ryan Tverberg, Philippe Myers and Marshall Rifai. That’s the immediate transaction. But the bigger picture is what those moves say about the team next door.
The Leafs are getting closer to their opening-night group, with more decisions still possible before they face the Montreal Canadiens. For now, these are players who simply didn’t crack the NHL roster.
That doesn’t mean they’re gone from the picture. It means they’re available when the season starts throwing its usual curveballs - injuries, slumps, and the constant shuffle that comes with a long year.
And Toronto suddenly has a lot of options waiting in the wings.
Steven Lorentz is the headliner among the waiver clears. He played 71 games for the Leafs last season and carries a $1.35 million cap hit through 2027-28.
Lettieri also stands out after being a major piece of last season’s Calder Cup championship team. Brisson is a 2020 first-round pick.
Tverberg has been pushing toward the NHL. Myers brings NHL experience on defence.
Pezzetta, Rybinski and Rifai each add their own kind of depth.
That group is only part of the story, too.
Ten more players were assigned directly to the Marlies, including goaltenders Artur Akhtyamov, Ken Appleby, Samuel Hlavaj, Luke Haymes, Miroslav Holinka, Noah Chadwick, Ben Danford, Jacob Quillan, Blake Smith and Landon Sim. Put it all together and the Marlies are starting to look less like a temporary stop and more like a legitimately interesting team.
That matters because last season’s Marlies didn’t just have a solid run. They won the Calder Cup. And now they’re getting another wave of players who bring a mix of experience, upside and organizational value.
Lettieri is the clearest example of what that can look like. He was terrific for the Marlies last season, scoring 14 goals and 42 points in 55 regular-season games, then adding 11 goals and 26 points in 23 playoff games.
He was a major part of the championship push. That kind of production makes him more than just a depth body.
He also brings something harder to measure. Long-time Maple Leafs fans will remember Rich Clune, the veteran who helped younger players learn how to live like professionals - how to show up, work, prepare, and respond when the game goes sideways.
Lettieri feels like that kind of presence. Maybe he spends plenty of time in the AHL.
That still can be a valuable career, and there’s real worth in becoming the kind of veteran who helps the next wave figure it out.
That may be where this goes. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
So while the Leafs continue trimming toward their NHL opening-night roster, the organization may be building something just as useful in the minors: a Marlies team with veterans, prospects, high draft picks and players still fighting their way toward the league. That’s insurance for Toronto, and it could also make for a very good AHL team to watch.
In Other News...
Leafs Roster Shift Opens Door For Marlies Standout To Break Through
Dakota Joshuas core injury is creating an early roster ripple for the Maple Leafs, and it looks like the opening could go to a familiar depth name. With Joshua expected to land on injured reserve or long-term injured reserve, James Mirtle reported that Bo Groulx is likely to start the season with Toronto after coming up from the Marlies.
For a team that is already sorting through changes up front, Joshuas health has added a fresh layer of uncertainty to the bottom six. The bigger question now is not just how long hes out, but what his injury and the clubs recent roster moves mean for his place in the lineup once the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Have A Short-Term Wing Decision To Make
The Blue Jackets putting Miles Wood on waivers put another experienced winger into the conversation for clubs looking to stabilize their depth, and the Maple Leafs are among the teams that can at least take a serious look. Wood has been around the league long enough to know the grind of a full season, and his name lands in Toronto at a time when the roster could use some extra insurance on the wing.
For the Leafs, the appeal is straightforward: he is a veteran option with a track record of NHL minutes and a contract that makes him a more manageable short-term discussion than a splashier addition. The question now is whether Toronto sees enough value in that profile to move quickly, or whether it lets the waiver process play out and waits to see what other answers might emerge. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Fans Just Got An Unexpected Old Faces Debate
As the NHL season creeps closer, a few familiar names have popped back into the conversation for Toronto fans. On Saturday, Pierre Engvall, Justin Holl, Alex Steeves and Alex Nylander, all former Maple Leafs, were placed on waivers by their current clubs, creating an odd little reminder of how much roster churn still sits around the league this time of year.
Engvall was waived by the New York Islanders, Holl by the Washington Capitals, Steeves by the Boston Bruins and Nylander by the Calgary Flames, and each case ties back in some way to a recent chapter in Toronto. For Maple Leafs fans, it is the sort of late-summer snapshot that invites a quick look back at old faces, even as all four players are now in the middle of trying to secure their places elsewhere before the season fully settles in. [Read more 🡒]