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The Toronto Maple Leafs may announce another series of roster cuts prior to the home-and-home series against Detroit this weekend, but barring any major surprises, GM Kyle Dubas may have to start the season with a bare-bones 20-man roster to get under the $82.5 million salary cap. Here is a breakdown of the way things are looking:
Goaltending - The tandem of Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov is a lock after both newcomers have performed well in the preseason.
Defense - Indications from head coach Sheldon Keefe are that veteran Jake Muzzin and youngster Rasmus Sandin will play in one of the weekend games and will be ready to face Montreal in the season opener one week from today. This gives Toronto a top six of Morgan Rielly, TJ Brodie, Muzzin, Justin Holl, Mark Giordano, and Sandin.
Timothy Liljegren and Jordie Benn will likely be placed on LTIR early next week to help create room under the cap, but barring a maneuver like demoting a forward making league minimum salary and then recalling him on an emergency basis (which the Leafs did many times last season to avoid the salary counting against the cap), they will only be able to carry six blueliners and not an extra like Victor Mete on the roster.
Forwards - John Tavares starts the season on IR, but the club will not place him on LTIR unless his recovery from a strained oblique is slow to heal. Pierre Engvall has started skating, but if the club as expected signs free agent Zach Aston-Reese to a one-year deal, Engvall will have to be placed on LTIR to make room.
Nine forwards (Michael Bunting-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner, Alex Kerfoot-William Nylander, Calle Jarnkrok. David Kampf, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Aston-Reese) appear to be locks, as does Nick Robertson after a stellar training camp. Wayne Simmonds and Adam Gaudette may make up the rest of the fourth line, but their hold on a roster spot may be temporary until Tavares/Engvall return.
Nick Abruzzese, Pontus Holmberg, and Alex Steeves have all had good camps, but their being waiver exempt gives the Leafs the luxury of sending them down to the AHL without fear of losing them to another club.
Denis Malgin can play center and could beat out Gaudette for a fourth-line job, but Toronto could risk losing him, Kyle Clifford, and/or Joey Anderson if they are placed on waivers.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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