The Leafs walked into training camp with something rare in this league: almost no real choices to make.
That’s the odd part of this preseason. While plenty of teams are still sorting through PTOs, AHL call-ups and camp bodies trying to force their way into the conversation, Toronto’s setup looks close to settled. There’s some movement available at the edges, sure, but the shape of the roster is already there.
Right now, the Leafs are carrying 24 players, with only 23 healthy. The group includes Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Matthew Knies, John Tavares, Colton Sissons, Jack Roslovic, Max Domi on LTIR, Dakota Joshua, Nick Paul, Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, Steven Lorentz, Gavin McKenna, Easton Cowan, Darren Raddysh, Morgan Rielly, Jake McCabe, Christopher Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Emil Andrae, Troy Stecher, Nick Blankenburg, Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz.
The math is tight but workable. Toronto sits at $105,877,382, which leaves them $1,877,382 over the cap, offset by Domi’s $3,750,000 on LTIR.
That gives them $1,872,618 to work with. In practical terms, that means they can sign Blankenburg if they want, keep someone like Ben Danford on the NHL roster for a bit, or simply skate with 22 players for a while.
The summer chatter about cap space, in other words, was never really the issue.
If Toronto wants to add someone from the unsigned market, there are still names out there. Vladimir Tarasenko, Michael Bunting, James van Riemsdyk, Evander Kane, Reilly Smith, Jonathan Drouin and Patrik Laine are among the forwards still available.
On defence, the options narrow quickly after the Leafs’ own PTO guy Blankenburg, the Senators’ PTO guy Ben Hutton and the Blue Jackets’ PTO choice Carson Soucy. Goaltending, though, is a different story.
There isn’t anyone obvious there, and that may be part of why the Connor Hellebuyck situation is still dragging on.
For Toronto, though, the bigger point is simple: they’re not arriving at camp to audition for a roster. They’re arriving to play.
Last night’s two games gave a first look at how that might look, with the top six, Raddysh and the Stolarz-Bobrovsky tandem taking on Montreal’s depth group. Matthews looked good.
Nylander even killed penalties, which was good for a laugh and, apparently, fine. McKenna has already logged something close to an NHL game and can settle in now, with his fit on this team looking pretty clear.
Tanev looked like himself. And there are, as ever, too many new numbers to memorize.
Roslovic’s role showed up most clearly in the third period: he’s there to carry the puck into the zone, pull defenders out of shape and make room for Matthews to finish the job. That’s the assignment, and it was on display.
There were other small takeaways too. Rifai was matched up with Florian Xhekaj, and there’s probably AHL baggage there as well as the obvious irritation of Xhekaj trying to get under Matthews’ skin.
Zack MacEwen, usually a grinder and tough-guy type who’s likely headed to the AHL, showed more offensive pop than expected. TLK played with no fear against NHL and AHL competition, Harry Nansi did too, and Ben Danford looked comfortable.
The Leafs’ power play, meanwhile, wasn’t much to get worked up over. It looked flat, but that’s hardly a surprise this early, especially with a group learning a very different setup from the ones these forwards have used before. That part deserves patience.
The Canadiens got the better of the first game, 4-1, with one late empty-net-style goal sneaking past Stolarz. The road game went to Montreal in overtime. In the home game, the goalies split the work and the result never really tilted far enough to suggest much beyond preseason rust.
Toronto also saw some solid work from the depth groups. The high-, mid- and low-depth versions of the Leafs kept pushing and produced a few nice goals.
Brandon Duhaime didn’t need to drop the gloves because Michael Pezzetta did it for him. And OEL had to shoulder a heavy load early, including defending a five-on-three.
The first preseason goal came from Rybinski, and Sissons later tied things up on the power play.
The night also brought a few other oddities. The OHL’s Guelph Storm unveiled a new in-ice LED display at Sleeman Centre, and the answer to whether anyone wants that in their own home arena is no. And Mats Sundin’s new role comes with its own strange wrinkle: he now has to walk past a giant picture of himself in the press box near the Leaf management suite.
That’s training camp for you. Strange, crowded, and mostly already decided.
Still, one note stands out: Raddysh was impressive. That’s not the kind of defender the modern game usually makes easy to love, but he made an impression.
In Other News...
Matthews Gave Leafs Fans One Reason To Exhale In Montreal
Auston Matthews gave Maple Leafs fans something to track in an otherwise rough split-squad preseason night in Montreal, where Toronto dropped both games and had to settle for smaller victories in the individual performances. Matthews looked closer to his usual self with noticeable speed and an assist, while Darren Raddysh provided the clubs lone goal and rookie Gavin McKenna flashed the sort of playmaking that can stand out even in a preseason setting.
For a Leafs team still sorting through early impressions, the point was less about the results than the signs underneath them. Matthews pace was the biggest takeaway, and McKennas creativity offered another encouraging note, even with a penalty mixed in. It was the kind of evaluative night that leaves the standings untouched but gives the coaching staff and the fan base a little more to chew on. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Fringe Forward Made An Early Statement In Montreal
Michael Pezzetta wasted little time making his presence felt in Montreal while skating with the Maple Leafs B-team. In a game featuring fringe players and prospects because Torontos main roster was elsewhere, Pezzetta dropped the gloves with Canadiens player Lucas Condotta and was ejected afterward, a flashpoint that fit the tone of a matchup built more on auditions and edge than star power.
The scuffling did not stop there, either. Shortly after Pezzettas fight, teammate Teddy Blueger also got into one in the same game, adding another layer of nastiness to a night that already had a distinctly old-school feel. For Leafs players trying to leave a mark with limited opportunities, these are the kinds of moments that can matter just as much as any shift in the offensive zone. [Read more 🡒]
Jim Hiller Saw Promise In The Leafs But One Clear Problem Too
After the Maple Leafs preseason loss to the Canadiens, Jim Hiller came away seeing both the kind of early signs a coach wants and the kind of issues that tend to linger if they are not cleaned up quickly. He pointed to Gavin McKennas good start and liked what he saw from Auston Matthews, especially his skating and the way he carried an offensive threat, which at least gave Toronto some encouraging takeaways from a game that did not go its way.
Still, Hiller sounded just as focused on the gaps as the positives, especially the teams skating without the puck, an area that can quietly decide preseason games and, later, more meaningful ones. He also addressed Sergei Bobrovskys playing-time management, another reminder that these exhibition games are about more than the final score as the Leafs sort through how their pieces fit and what needs sharpening before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]