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The Toronto Maple Leafs prospects bounced back from a 7-3 loss to Columbus and a long delay due to a hole in the boards at the Center Ice Arena in Traverse City, MI on Friday.
2023 Leafs first rounder Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten, Mikko Kokkonen, Jacob Frasca, and Brandon Lisowsky scored for Toronto and Dennis Hildeby went all the way for the Leafs, as they even their record at 1-1.
Toronto will take on Detroit on Sunday in the final day of the tournament, which will be followed by the annual golf outing at RattleSnake Golf Club on Monday and the opening of training camp this week.
In terms of players hoping to make their mark at the tournament to challenge for roster spots on the Leafs, that would be limited to Matthew Knies, who is expected to challenge for one of the vacated left wing spots after the departure of Michael Bunting, Alex Kerfoot, and Noel Acciari.
A roster spot will not be handed to the 20-year-old, and playing early in the season with the AHL Marlies is a possibility, but it is clear that there are expectations that the start prospect will slot in with Auston Matthews or John Tavares at some point.
A few interesting Leafs-related notes from Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman’s 32 Thoughts podcast.
Members of the Leafs were contacted this week by the NHLPA regarding the allegations against former Leaf head coach Mike Babcock in Columbus. There has not been any decision made by the Blue Jackets or the NHL regarding Babcock asking for photos from player’s phones, but it is curious that Ron Hainsey, who played two seasons under Babcock in Toronto, was part of the NHLPA’s investigative team.
Friedman also touched on William Nylander, saying that negotiations will likely play out during the season. He also mentioned some speculation that the Leafs may toy with the idea of moving him from right wing to center. Toronto will eventually move John Tavares to the wing, but the instances when Nylander has played up the middle have not been successful.
If they do move him to center and he thrives there, that just gives the 27-year-old more leverage to demand a big money deal, which would make it less likely in my mind that the Leafs do it this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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