After playing four exhibition games in three days, the Toronto Maple Leafs have reduced their training camp roster on Thursday from 54 to 41 players.
The club has demoted forwards David Broll, Connor Brown, Jamie Devane, Greg McKegg, Carson McMillan, Brad Ross and Brady Vail, defensemen Eric Knodel, Andrew MacWilliam, Brendan Mikkelson and Tom Nilsson, and goalies Christopher Gibson and Cal Heeter have been assigned to the Toronto Marlies, the club’s AHL affiliate.
Here is the roster as it current stands:
Forwards(25)
SPENCER ABBOTT CARTER ASHTON TYLER BIGGS TROY BODIE DAVID BOOTH TYLER BOZAK(INJ) SAM CARRICK DAVID CLARKSON(INJ) MATT FRATTIN FREDERIK GAUTHIER(INJ) PETER HOLLAND NAZEM KADRI PHIL KESSEL LEO KOMAROV PETRI KONTIOLA BRANDON KOZUN JOSH LEIVO JOFFREY LUPUL FRAZER MCLAREN WILLIAM NYLANDER COLTON ORR MIKE SANTORELLI TREVOR SMITH JAMES VAN RIEMSDYK DANIEL WINNIK
Defense(12)
CODY FRANSON JAKE GARDINER PETTER GRANBERG KORBINIAN HOLZER VIKTOR LOOV KEVIN MARSHALL STUART PERCY DION PHANEUF ROMAN POLAK MORGAN RIELLY STEPHANE ROBIDAS(INJ) HENRIK TALLINDER**
Goaltenders(4)
JONATHAN BERNIER ANTOINE BIBEAU JAMES REIMER GARRET SPARKS(INJ)
** - Tryout invitation
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This is pretty funny:
It is early to make any final determinations on who the winner of certain roster battles will be, but the early leaders for the seventh defenseman spot appear to be Petter Granberg and veteran Henrik Tallinder.
The Leafs believe that the 21-year-old Swede has the speed and strength to be an NHLer if not immediately, then at some point this season, while the former Sabre blueliner has shown that he still has the mobility to keep pace in the league and has the defensive chops to compensate for young players like Morgan Rielly or Jake Gardiner. Both players could make the Leafs 23-man roster if veteran Stephane Robidas starts the season on injured reserve.
Marlies defensemen Korbinian Holzer, Kevin Marshall and Stuart Percy have been good enough to merit a longer look, but there is been nothing revelatory in their performance to think that they will eclipse Granberg or Tallinder.
Viktor Loov has a great deal of promise and impressed at the rookie tournament nearly two weeks ago, but the 21-year-old has appeared tentative at times. That should be an indicator that Loov will return to Sweden for another season with Modo.
Tomorrow - Reviewing the camp battles at forward
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