The Toronto Maple Leafs updated the status of goaltender Frederik Andersen, who left an Olympic qualifying game between Denmark and Slovenia on Friday after colliding with a teammate.
Andersen sustained an upper body injury and will be out for 3 to 4 weeks, which will keep him from participating in the World Cup of Hockey and the early portion of the Leafs training camp.
In a press release, GMLou Lamorielllo indicated that the 26-year-old goalie is expected to be ready for the start of the 2016-17 regular season against the Ottawa Senators on October 12.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs were rated the top organization in the NHL by ESPN this past week, with eight players ranked in the league’s top 120 prospects. Many talent evaluators believe that the club, who began an organizational transition just two years ago, has many more who could play some role in the league in the future.
The difference between teams falling short in their rebuild and Stanley Cup success stories such as the Chicago Blackhawks is getting significant contributions not only from top prospects selected at the top of the first round (Patrick Kane -1st overall, 2007 and Jonathan Toews -3rd overall, 2006), as well as lower round selections (Niklas Hjarmalsson-4th round, 2005, Markus Kruger 5th round,2009, Andrew Shaw, 5th round, 2011), undrafted free agents (Trevor van Riemsdyk) and young players acquired via trade (Patrick Sharp, acquired from PHI in 2005).
Rather than assigning a letter grade or ranking the Toronto organization’s young players, Leafs prospects will be placed in three categories.
Cornerstones – A prospect that is close to ‘can’t miss’ as one can get. Someone with the talent, size and/or mentality to be successful in the NHL right away and potentially be a franchise building block.
Contenders – A prospect that has the ability and physical tools, but needs to gain experience and physically/mentally mature over the next 1-2 years to be an effective NHLer.
Challengers – A prospect that has some abilities, but may have a deficiency in some aspect of their game besides experience and maturity that they will have to overcome to make the NHL in the near future.
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Carl Grundstrom – 2nd Round/57th Overall – 2016: Described by Leafs assistant GM Mark Hunter is a “Swedish Leo Komarov”, Grundstrom has great work ethic and is known for his defensive abilities and a knack for annoying the opposition.
The 18-year-old has already played two seasons in the SHL and for Team Sweden at the 2016 WJC and he will likely stay with MODO for another few seasons and play internationally for Tre Kronor in Toronto & Montreal this December. If one aspect of his game is wanting, it is in the offensive zone (where he has scored only seven times in 73 games).
Rating - Challenger
Zach Hyman – 5th Round/123rd Overall – 2010(Florida): After playing four years at the University of Michigan and scoring 22 goals in his senior season, the Maple Leafs acquired the Toronto native from the Florida Panthers.
Hyman plays responsible defensively, is excellent on the penalty kill and plays with an edge, but eliminated doubts about his upside with a solid rookie AHL season (15 goals, 22 assists) and fit in well during a March stint with the Leafs in March. The 24-year-old winger is the type of multifaceted forward that head coach Mike Babcock wants and should be a lock for a bottom six spot.
Rating – Contender
Kasperi Kapanen – 1st Round/22nd Overall – 2014(Pittsburgh) : One year after being the key part in the Phil Kessel deal, the Leafs are not sure what exactly they have in the 20-year-old Finn.
Kapanen had a roller coaster 2015-16, going through growing pains in the American Hockey League, missing time with a back injury and appearing overmatched when called up by the Leafs after the trade deadline, but that was countered by scoring the winning overtime goal in the World Junior for Finland and a good playoff performance with the Marlies.
There is potential there and the Leafs will remain patient and hope that Kapanen improves in all aspects of his game. If that happens, he could become a legitimate top six forward candidate, but the jury is still out.
Rating – Challenger
Yegor Korshkov – 2nd Round/31st Overall – 2016 : The focus of the 2015 Draft was skill, but in 2016 the Leafs were all about size. That was exemplified by the selection of Korshkov, who opened eyes with an eight-point performance at the 2016 World Junior.
The big winger (6’4”, 200 lb) is a late bloomer and went through two drafts before being picked 31st overall by Toronto. Korshkov will play his third season with Lokomotiv in the KHL before heading to North America in 2017, but the hope is that the 20-year-old Russian can grow into a power forward.
Rating – Challenger
Brendan Leipsic – 3rd Round/89th Overall – 2012(Nashville): Acquired in the deal that sent Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli to Nashville in February 2015, the speedy Leipsic was third in Marlies scoring last season (20G, 34A) and scored three points in six games with the Leafs.
With Mitch Marner, Jeremy Bracco, Andreas Johnson, Dmytro Timashov, Connor Brown are in the undersized category, Leipsic may be the answer to the question ‘how many small players can one team have on their roster.’ He may get more NHL looks with the Leafs roster in flux, but will have to continue to score at the AHL to keep from being passed over.
Rating – Challenger
Josh Leivo – 3rd Round/86th Overall – 2011: After getting brief looks in the NHL the last three seasons, it is possible that Leivo with a good training camp could earn a spot on the Maple Leafs roster. If that does not come to fruition, you could very well see the 23-year-old forward on another NHL club.
The Innisfil, ON native had his best season in 2016, scoring 48 points and being selected as an AHL All-Star, as well as scoring five goals in 12 games with the Leafs. Leivo possesses the combination of size, speed and skill that others trying to the Leafs do not have, but if he fails to make the roster, he will unlikely clear waivers to be sent to the AHL.
Rating - Challenger
Jesper Lindgren – 4th Round/95th Overall – 2015: The Leafs have had good fortune with late round selections out of Sweden (Viktor Loov and Andreas Johnson in the seventh round in ’12 & ’13) and early signs are they may have found another in Lindgren, a speedy puck carrying blueliner who played 26 games with MODO of the SHL as an 18-year-old.
The 6’0”161 lb defenseman is years away, but was invited to Team Sweden’s summer camp for the upcoming World Junior. It is expected that he will remain in the SHL for at least one more season before heading to North America.
Rating - Challenger
Mitch Marner – 1st Round/4th Overall – 2015: The question with Mitch Marner is not about talent, skill or hockey IQ. It is whether he will be strong enough to withstand the punishment of being a top-six NHL forward at the age of 19.
The Thornhill, ON native won every most valuable player award available to him last season and the Memorial Cup with the London Knights, but cannot play in the American Hockey League because of the 20-year-old age limit.
Some believe that Marner has nothing more to learn or achieve in the OHL after two 100+ point seasons, but being rushed to the NHL before he is ready might be more detrimental to his long-term development. Tracking Marner’s readiness and progress will be the most interesting story of training camp.
Rating - Cornerstone
Part III on Monday
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