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The Toronto Maple Leafs will have a number of interesting decisions when they open their training camp on September 21 at the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke, ON. The status of RFA defenseman Rasmus Sandin continues to be a story, especially with the club appearing to be at the cap limit. On Friday, the club added another wrinkle as they extended a professional tryout contract to veteran forward Zach Aston-Reese.
The 28-year-old winger played four seasons at Northeastern University before signing as a free agent with Pittsburgh in 2018. He played five seasons with the Penguins before being traded to Anaheim as part of the Rickard Rakell deal last March.
The Staten Island, NY native has 32 goals, 34 assists in 230 NHL games and is regarded as a solid defensive forward who can kill penalties and use his size (6’0”, 204 lb.) in a checking role. Sportsnet’s Mark Spector indicated that the Edmonton Oilers were also interested in bringing in Aston-Reese on a PTO, but that he preferred to stay in the east.
Unlike last season, when the invite of Nikita Gusev was perceived as a longshot at best, this addition appears to be well-suited to improving the Leafs depth at forward after losing veteran Jason Spezza to retirement, and Colin Blackwell and Ilya Mikheyev in free agency.
Along with the signing of free agents Calle Jarnkrok, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, and Adam Gaudette, Aston-Reese could help shore up the roster in places where Mikheyev served well, and provide some insurance while unresolved questions about youngster Nick Robertson still linger. Aston-Reese is known as a hard worker, who will pile up hits, and forecheck like crazy, but is not known for a great scoring touch.
GM Kyle Dubas likely has a move to make before the start of the season, since Sandin’s new deal could be in the same neighborhood as Timothy Liljegren’s two-year, $2.8 million deal, and Aston-Reese’s contract could be anywhere from $750,000 to $850,000 on a one-year deal. The likely move continues to be shipping out defenseman Justin Holl and his $2 million salary, opening up a spot for Sandin or one of the lefty veteran defensemen to shift over to the right side.
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • 
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