The Toronto Maple Leafs have a half dozen new faces and a pair of former players returning to the fold when training camp opens in just over two weeks, which is likely to make it a difficult chore for anyone outside of that group to make the Leafs final 23-man roster.
The club brought in free agents Mike Santorelli, David Booth, Finnish import Petri Kontiola, Daniel Winnik and defenseman Stephane Robidas, re-signed Leo Komarov, traded for ex-Leaf Matt Frattin and veteran blueliner Roman Polak over the summer.
Of the six forwards added, only Kontiola(who played 12 NHL games with Chicago before departing for the KHL) has the ability to be sent down without having to clear waivers. The newcomers (along with center Peter Holland) are expected to improve the production, contribution and versatility of the club’s bottom six and are projected to be on the Leafs when they open the season against Montreal on October 8th.
Veteran forwards Colton Orr, Trevor Smith, Frazer McLaren, Troy Bodie and youngster Carter Ashton look to be long shots to make the club. These veterans all have one year left on their current contracts and those deals being one-way make it likely that they will clear waivers if they are demoted, but Ashton’s deal is two-way and he is young enough that another team may be willing to take a chance on claiming him.
The upcoming training camp is a do-or-die situation for the 23-year-old Ashton, who is entering his third season with the Leafs. He scored a remarkable 16 goals in 24 games with the AHL Marlies during the regular season and registered nine points in the Calder Cup playoffs, but that offensive prowess has evaporated whenever called up to the NHL.
In 47 career NHL games, the former Tampa Bay first rounder has just three assists.
Ashton has been disserved by playing most of his time with such scoring machines as Orr, McLaren and Jerred Smithson, but he has rarely made any kind of impression other than managing to get bloodied in his attempt to play a fourth line energy role. If Ashton fails in his bid to make the Leafs at training camp, he cannot be sent down to the American Hockey League without being exposed to waivers and is at great risk of being claimed, which is the same dilemma GM Dave Nonis faced with center Joe Colborne last season.
Colborne did not perform well in a depth role and was traded to Calgary for a 2014 fourth round pick just before the start of last season.
On defense, the top six appears to be set with team captain Dion Phaneuf, Robidas, Polak, sophomore Morgan Rielly, recently re-signed Jake Gardiner and Cody Franson, but do not have someone who can adequately fill in as a seventh defenseman.
Marlies’ blueliners Petter Granberg and Stuart Percy are close to being ready to make the move to the NHL, but a reserve role in and out of the lineup would be detrimental to their maturation, while Korbinian Holzer has a wealth of AHL experience and played 22 games with the Leafs in 2013, but was exposed as being too slow for the NHL.
Barring an awe-inspiring training camp from 2014 top pick William Nylander or an unforeseen trade to clear cap space, the only area where a surprise may occur is the addition of a veteran defenseman on a training camp tryout.
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