Following the three-day respite in Collingwood, ON, the Maple Leafs complete their exhibition schedule against the Detroit Red Wings Friday night at Air Canada Center.
Toronto currently is at 29 players and is expected to make their final cuts this weekend, but according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, the club may cut down to below the 23-man maximum prior to the beginning of the regular season.
The Leafs have the advantage to quickly recall players from the American Hockey League in case of injury and may start the season at 21 or 22(as few as 13 forwards and 6 defensemen), using the Marlies close proximity to hide the salaries of bench players from the salary cap.
The club will be able to bring up and send players who are waiver exempt (Petter Granberg, Josh Leivo or Stuart Percy) and can recall veterans Troy Bodie or Trevor Smith who already cleared waivers, as they have a 30 day window to not have to go through waivers again.
While veterans Frazer McLaren, Colton Orr or Korbinian Holzer may be abler to slip through waivers due to their one-way contracts, Leafs management may be concerned that younger, more inexpensive players like Brandon Kozun and Carter Ashton will be claimed.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Toronto has been asking around to teams about interest in Ashton, trying to recoup a draft pick similar to their trade with Calgary for Joe Colborne late in training camp last season.
Ashton accepted a one-year qualifying offer for $850,500 in July and has been inactive for the Leafs last three exhibition games, but another NHL club might be interested in the 23-year-old after scoring 20 goals in 32 games in the AHL regular season and playoffs last season.
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Defenseman Stephane Robidas confirmed that he will make his Leafs debut on Friday against Detroit. The 37-year-old blueliner was medically cleared for contact last week.
Injured blueliner Cody Franson is still hoping to be in the lineup for the season opener next Wednesday against Montreal but is still dealing with a painful knee bruise from last Sunday’s shootout victory against Buffalo.
“Well see how it goes,” Franson told the Toronto Sun’s
Rob Longley after an off-ice workout in Collingwood on Wednesday. “I’m starting to move around a little better now. I’m trying to get the swelling down now - it’s come down a bit - then we will work on the range of movement. After that, it’s all about managing the pain and getting back into it.“
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