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Training camp battles - Pt II : Defense

September 13, 2017, 10:30 PM ET [302 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs open training camp at the MasterCard Centre in Etobicoke, ON on Thursday and while there are not expected to be any battles for any of the top positions on the roster, the contest for depth positions will be what attracts the most attention.

In a column last week that previewed the battle for spots on the wing, a group consisting of Kasperi Kapanen, Matt Martin, Nikita Soshnikov, Josh Leivo, Eric Fehr and former KHLer Miro Altonen will be competing for one starting job and one or two extra forward positions.

On defense, there is likely one spot in the top six up for grabs and as many as five defensemen vying for that position.

The top four to start camp appears to be set. GM Lou Lamoriello was not able to pull off the big summer deal to upgrade the blueline and instead signed 36-year-old Ron Hainsey to a two-year deal.

The Stanley Cup winner has skated with Morgan Rielly in workouts prior to the opening of camp and head coach Mike Babcock stated last month that Hainsey would be paired with the Leafs top defender.

The second pairing is likely to consist of Nikita Zaitsev and Jake Gardiner, who played together late last season and into the playoffs.

With the acquisition of Hainsey, Connor Carrick will likely start the season on the right side of the bottom pairing, with three rookies (Travis Dermott, Andreas Borgman and Calle Rosen) and a inconsistent veteran (Martin Marincin) competing to be his defense partner.

Dermott has believers among Leafs management that he can make the jump to the NHL at the age of 20, but he will have to display more consistency that he showed in the final game of the rookie tournament last Sunday against Ottawa.

Borgman (winner of the Swedish Hockey League’s 2017 Rookie of the Year) had five goals and 10 assists in 45 games with HV71 and scored 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) in their run to an SHL Championship, while the 23-year-old Rosen played three seasons in Sweden for the Vaxjo Lakers and is known for an excellent shot and good skating ability.

Marincin played only 25 games during the regular season, but participated in all six playoff games against Washington with injuries to Zaitsev and Roman Polak. The big defenseman has a large wingspan, which can be to his benefit during penalty killing situations, but his inability to clear the front of the net and inconsistent positioning makes him the likely seventh defenseman.

2017 top pick Timothy Liljegren had a rough start to his Leafs career (going -4 against the Montreal Canadiens last Friday), but was more composed in his second outing against Ottawa. The 18-year-old is a long shot to make the Leafs and more than likely will play most of the season in the American Hockey League, but that could all change if he impresses playing with better talent during the preseason.

One aspect of the defensive battle that cannot be overlooked is that Dermott, Borgman, Rosen and Liljegren can all freely move from the AHL to NHL without waivers being a consideration. That means a rotation or a longer tryout period could take place if no one wins the job, with the others playing regularly with the Toronto Marlies instead of sitting idle in the Air Canada Centre press box.

Another factor that could appear in the near future is the unsigned Polak, still recovering from a broken leg suffered in the playoffs. The 31-year-old is well liked by Babcock and he has not signed a PTO with another team. If the Leafs feel that none of their young defensemen are ready, Polak might be their fallback option.

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