Per the Maple Leafs website, the club announced that they have reduced their training camp roster to 37 players, cutting 14 players.
Forwards Sam Carrick, Andrew Crescenzi, Jerry D’Amigo, Josh Leivo, Greg McKegg and Brad Ross, blueliners Petter Granberg, Dylan Yeo and Zachary Yuen, and goaltenders Christopher Gibson and Garret Sparks have all been assigned to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League.
2013 first round pick Frederik Gauthier has been sent back to the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic, 2012 pick Ryan Rupert has been returned to the London Knights of the OHL and free agent invitee Kevin Raine has been reassigned to the OHL's Sudbury Wolves.
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Roster decisions will be front and center for GM Dave Nonis and Coach Randy Carlyle over the next two weeks and nowhere will the choices be more difficult than on the blueline, where the status of 2012 first rounder Morgan Rielly and the contract impasse of restricted free agent Cody Franson will factor in which seven or eight defensemen will make the 23 man roster out of training camp.
Veterans Dion Phaneuf, Carl Gunnarsson and Mark Fraser are locks to make the club.
The 19 year old Rielly has played well in two exhibition games against Philadelphia, especially carrying the puck and jumping into the offensive attack, but his defensive zone play will be the determining factor of whether he gets an extended look into the regular season or goes back to the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors. The status of slick skating blueliner will undoubtedly be tied to Franson’s contract status, as the Leafs would not have the cap room to fit both Rielly’s $1.74 Million entry-level deal and Franson’s contract.
The conventional wisdom is that Franson and the Leafs will reach an agreement at some point during the pre-season, but the longer the 26-year-old waits to sign could affect his role and playing time when the season begins. If Toronto does get him signed to a one or two-year extension in the neighborhood of $3 Million per season, then getting under the $64.3 Million salary cap becomes an immediate concern and may impact how many defensemen the Leafs can carry on the roster.
Defenseman John-Michael Liles appeared to be a possible candidate for a trade or post-arbitration buyout over the summer, but the Leafs decided not to take that route. With three years left on his deal at close to $4 Million per season, trading the veteran blueliner could be a challenge, but according to HNIC’s
Elliotte Friedman , Carolina may have been interested the 32-year-old veteran before signing free agent Ron Hainsey to a one-year deal.
Teams like Anaheim and Calgary who are looking for defensive help might be interested in the veteran puck mover. The Ducks do not have an adequate replacement for the injured Sheldon Souray, who could be out for most of the season and the Flames could use a top four defenseman to fit in with veterans Mark Giordano, Dennis Wideman and young T.J. Brodie.
It appears so far that the NHL comeback of Paul Ranger is on track, with many observers saying that the 29-year-old looks capable of returning to the top-four level he displayed in Tampa five years ago. Ranger’s addition to the mix could be bad news for free agent addition T.J. Brennan and Marlies alum Korbinian Holzer.
Brennan played extraordinarily well with Rochester in the AHL in 2012-13 and his offensive abilities are what earned him a one-way contract from Toronto in early July, but the $600,000 one-way deal may have been more of a way to discourage other teams from claiming him on waivers if he is demoted to the Toronto Marlies.
Holzer has been with the Leafs organization for three seasons and failed to make a positive impression in his 22 game NHL stint last season. After having signed a two-year contract extension in March, the 25-year-old defenseman looks to be sliding down the Leafs depth chart as Brennan and younger organizational prospects Andrew MacWilliam, Jesse Blacker, Petter Granberg and former first rounder Stuart Percy inch closer to being NHL ready.
The decline of Holzer’s prospects in Toronto does not mean that other organizations may not have interest in the German-born blueliner. If the Leafs attempt to send him down, he will have to go through waivers. That possibility could lead to a team like Edmonton, who are in need of defensive help and have former Marlies coach Dallas Eakins at the helm, to put a claim in.
Once the season begins, it is very possible that Blacker or MacWilliam(who are waiver exempt) will get the call before Holzer or Brennan, for fear of losing either player on a waiver claim.
With the expected signing of forward Mason Raymond and re-signing of Franson, the salary crunch will be extremely tight for the Leafs. It may force them to carry less than 23 players at the beginning of the season or less than the eight defensemen they had on the roster for most of 2013.
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