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Mike Babcock will have some difficult decisions when it comes to the makeup of his 23-man roster at the end of the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp, but a factor that may trump who played best in practice or in exhibition games is whether a player can be sent down safely to the American Hockey League.
Players on the bubble, who are looking to be the depth forwards or defensemen may be those who are vulnerable to being claimed by another club on waivers, rather than youngsters who are still exempt from being claimed.
With rookie Travis Dermott challenging for a top six spot, the addition of Swedish imports Andreas Borgman, Calle Rosen, the presence of 2017 first rounder Timothy Liljegren and others like Andrew Nielsen and Rinat Valiev with the Toronto Marlies, it is likely that the Leafs will carry only seven defensemen on their NHL roster.
All of the young blueliners are exempt from waivers and can freely move back and forth from the AHL. Toronto management will want them to play regularly, which means that Martin Marincin will be enjoying a comfortable seat in the Air Canada Centre press box on most nights.
A group of five; Kasperi Kapanen, Nikita Soshnikov, Josh Leivo, Eric Fehr and Kerby Rychel appear set to battle for the extra forward spots.
The speedy 20-year-old Kapanen made an impression late last season with the Leafs and during the Calder Cup Playoffs, but with the addition of Patrick Marleau and the numbers game possibly forcing Zach Hyman or Matt Martin to shift from left to right wing, Kapanen may be relegated to playing a top line role with the Marlies in spite of being NHL-ready.
“You have to forget about what happened last year and start from the same spot as everybody else. It’s going to be a tough camp, but I’m ready for it.… Kapanen said to the Star’s Kevin McGran .
Soshnikov played 56 games in his second season for the Leafs, but is still waiver exempt. The 23-year-old winger did not play after March 20th last season due to an upper-body injury and if he does not earn a starting spot, Toronto will likely want him to see game action and be ready at a moment’s notice.
Leivo spent the entire season either on injured reserve or the Leafs roster, played only 13 regular season games and was protected in the expansion draft because Toronto feared that another club would claim him.
The 24-year-old is signed through next season for $612,500 and is a restricted free agent next summer, which means he is valuable as an economical depth option for the Leafs and as an asset to be moved to a team with budgetary constraints.
Fehr was acquired from Pittsburgh at last year’s deadline and has the versatility to play both center and wing, but his salary may be a consideration for a depth option. Fehr has a $2 Million cap hit and the Leafs can bury $1.o25 Million of it if he if is waived and demoted to the Marlies.
Rychel is coming off a successful AHL season (in which he led the Marlies with 52 points), but is no longer exempt from waivers. The former Blue Jackets first rounder was exposed in the expansion draft, but Vegas opted to select Brendan Leipsic.
If the Leafs try to sneak Rychel through waivers, it is probable that a club looking for size and snarl in their bottom six would claim him. If he does not make the Leafs roster, it is possible that GM Lou Lamoriello would explore trade options for the 22-year-old for fear of losing him for nothing.