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With three preseason games left before having to get to 23 players (or less), the Toronto Maple Leafs announced some roster cuts to get close to that number prior to playing the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Monday.
The club sent 10 players: forwards Joseph Blandisi, Curtis Douglas. Max Ellis, Pavel Gogolev, Logan Shaw, Graham Slaggert, and defencemen Matt Hellickson, Noel Hoefenmayer, Tommy Miller, and Matteo Pietroniro to the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Douglas, Ellis, and Gogolev are on NHL deals but are waiver exempt, while the others are on AHL deals or are free agent invitees.
Toronto’s lineup against the Habs is the closest to an NHL lineup that they have iced so far, with Matt Murray starting in goal and Ilya Samsonov backing up, and four defensemen (TJ Brodie, Morgan Rielly, Mark Giordano, and Justin Holl) in the lineup.
The most interesting aspect of the lineup is up front, where head coach Sheldon Keefe is slotting youngster Nick Robertson into the top six with both Pierre Engvall and John Tavares out. Robertson will play on the second line with Alex Kerfoot and William Nylander, and if he continues to score, the 21-year-old could start the season in the NHL.
The area where the competition has been fierce has been among the depth forwards, where youngsters Alex Steeves and Pontus Holmberg have been pushing veterans Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Zach Aston-Reese (currently on a PTO), Adam Gaudette, Denis Malgin, Wayne Simmonds, and Kyle Clifford.
"Certainly in my time here, this is the most competition we've had and the hardest decisions we've had." Keefe said in Montreal on Monday
In injury news, forward John Tavares and defenseman Timothy Liljegren took to the ice at Ford Performance Centre, but are limited to what they can do since they are weeks away from being available. Winger Pierre Engvall took part in practice for the first time, skating with David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok as part of the group not playing in Montreal, while Jake Muzzin skated with Rasmus Sandin and indicated that he will play in one of the final two preseason games vs. Detroit on the weekend.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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