Steven Lorentz and Philippe Myers were missing from the Toronto Marlies’ preseason lineup on Saturday, and their absence stood out immediately.
Toronto’s AHL club opened preseason play against the Rochester Americans in the first half of a back-to-back, then headed to Hamilton on Sunday to face the Hammers. The Marlies dropped the game 3-1, with 2025 NCAA signing Frank Djurasevic supplying their only goal.
The lineup looked like the kind of group the Marlies may lean on often this season, but it also came with a few notable omissions. Lorentz and Myers, both of whom cleared waivers and were assigned to the AHL, were not dressed. Prospect Ben Danford was also out, along with regulars Marshall Rifai, Logan Shaw, and Vinni Lettieri.
That left the Marlies without two of Toronto’s newest roster additions, even in a preseason setting. Lorentz’s waiver placement raised eyebrows for some after he quickly won over fans with his energy and work rate, but his defensive regression in 2026 and Toronto’s bottom-six shakeup made him available. No team stepped in to claim him.
Myers is viewed more as depth, but with the Marlies’ other defenders performing well and roster space needed for Danford, he could be fighting an uphill battle for ice time.
The reigning Calder Cup champions have plenty of familiar faces back, but the path to another title won’t be simple. Cade Webber and William Villeneuve are both out long-term, and both were important to last year’s playoff run.
The Marlies are back in action Sunday afternoon against Hamilton, and there’s a good chance Lorentz and Myers get into that game to pick up some reps. If they sit again, it will only sharpen the question of where either veteran fits on a crowded roster.
Toronto opens the season on Oct. 2 in Rochester against the Americans, then returns home to Coca-Cola Coliseum on Oct. 3 to face the Hamilton Hammers and raise its Calder Cup championship banner. For now, the focus is on sorting out the roster, and two of the club’s newest veterans were nowhere to be found on the ice Saturday.
In Other News...
Maple Leafs Face One Costly Marchenko Question
Kirill Marchenkos future in Columbus has suddenly become a topic of real interest around the league, and Toronto is among the clubs being mentioned as a possible landing spot. The Blue Jackets forward has publicly requested a trade, even while reporting to training camp, which has only added to the intrigue for teams looking for scoring help. For the Maple Leafs, it is the sort of situation that naturally invites debate, because Marchenkos talent would fit into a market that is always searching for more offense.
The harder part for Toronto is the price. Any serious pursuit would almost certainly force the Maple Leafs to weigh young pieces such as Easton Cowan, Ben Danford, Harry Nansi, and Matthew Knies, the kind of names that make any trade conversation uncomfortable in a hurry. That is the tension now: Marchenko could give Toronto a useful boost, but only if the Leafs are willing to pay a cost that changes the calculus of what kind of deal makes sense for the present and the future. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Have A Chance To Create A Family Story Fans Will Love
The Rangers are putting Taylor Raddysh on waivers, and that gives the Maple Leafs a small but intriguing opening as roster decisions start to come into focus. Toronto has not made a waiver claim yet this offseason, but with those calls approaching, this is the kind of low-risk move teams around the league have to weigh carefully.
For the Leafs, the appeal goes beyond the depth chart. Taylor is the brother of Toronto player Darren Raddysh, which means a claim would create a family tie that fans would instantly latch onto. It is the sort of feel-good angle that can make a mundane transaction a little more interesting, even if the final decision still comes down to how the Leafs want to handle the rest of the offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Former Leafs Just Landed In A Spot Toronto Can't Really Use
Several former Maple Leafs are among the names who surfaced on waivers as NHL clubs move to finalize their rosters ahead of the 2026-27 season deadline, a familiar point in the calendar when depth pieces start bouncing around the league. Steven Lorentz, Philippe Myers, Calle Rosen, Ilya Samsonov, Sam Lafferty, Henry Thrun and Sammy Blais are all in that group, giving teams 24 hours to decide whether they want to make a claim before those players are sent to their AHL affiliates.
For Toronto, the timing makes the whole thing more interesting but not especially practical. The Maple Leafs have limited roster and cap space after their recent signings, which means even a player with a familiar face or a useful fit has to clear more than just a quick look from the hockey ops staff. It is the kind of waiver window that can create a lot of noise around former Leafs, even when the path back to Toronto is harder than it looks. [Read more 🡒]