The report on Friday that Pittsburgh is extending a tryout opportunity to 41-year-old former Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar is the first of many training camp invites that will be extended to unsigned free agents in days remaining before NHL training camps open in mid-September.
The Toronto Maple Leafs appear to be in a posture to invite in veterans for the purpose of making sure they have enough bodies to not have to interrupt the developmental process of their young prospects.
Rumors earlier this week indicated that the club was on the verge of inviting 28-year-old former San Jose Sharks winger Devin Setoguchi, who went scoreless in a brief stint with the Calgary Flames last season before being demoted to the American Hockey League last November.
Former Calgary and Washington Capitials winger Curtis Glencross is another name that has been connected to Toronto and remains unsigned. The 32-year-old has seven straight seasons scoring in double figures.
The Leafs currently have 14 forwards signed to one-way contracts, which means that the players they bring in may have to be willing to be an extra player on the NHL roster for a league minimum salary or be willing to start the season in the AHL.
Where Toronto could use another helping hand is on the blueline, as it looks like the club has seven NHL defensemen and TJ Brennan as a potential swing man between the Marlies and Leafs. Although not a realistic candidate for a training camp tryout, former Leafs defenseman Cody Franson still has not reached a deal.
The big 27-year-old blueliner was expected to get a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal in a weak defensive free agent market this summer, but while Andrej Sekera(6 years, $33 Million with Edmonton) and Mike Green(3 years, $18 Million with Detroit) hit it big, the Sicamous, BC native is still waiting and could be amenable to signing where he could get playing time and good money on a one-year deal.
The Leafs brought in a veteran defender to the roster last summer when they added former Sabre Henrik Tallinder, who was on the way to making their roster until suffering a shoulder injury midway through the preseason in Buffalo.
With GM Lou Lamoriello on board, it is possible that his New Jersey connections may come into play with someone like 38-year-old former Devils team captain Bryce Salvador, who played a integral role in the Devils run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, but faltered the last two seasons.
Toronto could also be interested in bringing in a veteran goaltender as a third option after Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer. If either veteran went down to injury, the backup job would go to 22-year-old Christopher Gibson, 22-year-old Garret Sparks or 21-year-old Antoine Bibeau.
Could that mean the return of former Leaf Jonas Gustavsson, who played the last three seasons for Leafs head coach Mike Babcock in Detroit but missed most of last season due to injury.
survey services
*******If you are interested in sponsorship or advertising your business in the Greater Toronto / Southern Ontario area on this column, please send a message for more information by clicking on the “Contact” button at the top of the page.*******
Note : Continue to check back to my column on Hockeybuzz throughout the day for the latest Leafs updates or on Twitter
KINDLE USERS: Please sign up for Maple Leafs Buzz, which includes a free-of-charge 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month afterwards. For more information
click here.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»