The Toronto Maple Leafs opened their 2015-16 training camp in Bedford, Nova Scotia on Friday, with 69 players being put through their paces by Mike Babcock for the first time. The club will go through a weekend of on-ice sessions and will begin their eight-game exhibition schedule with split-squad games against the Ottawa Senators in Kanata and Toronto next Monday.
The club under Babcock is expected to implement a new philosophy that many players who are holdovers from the Randy Carlyle era will have to adjust to if they hope to be part of the Leafs future. Here is a preview of what Toronto will head to camp with at each position and what can be expected when Babcock and new GM Lou Lamoriello cut down to 23 players in a few weeks.
The main battle in training camp up the middle will be to determine whether Tyler Bozak or Nazem Kadri will be the center on the first line with winger James van Riemsdyk. Bozak scored a career-high 23 goals last season but dropped from a plus player to the second lowest plus/minus in the NHL(-34) playing with van Riemsdyk and former Leaf Phil Kessel.
Without the threat of a top-scoring winger like Kessel as a linemate, Bozak’s shortcomings as the top liner are magnified, but his ability to win faceoffs and contribute on special teams could fit in well as a second line center.
The question in front of Babcock is whether an inconsistent Kadri is much better. The 25-year-old signed a one-year, $4.1 Million contract after a disappointing season with off-ice distractions and has to prove that he has matured off the ice and improved physically to handle the challenge of going head-to-head with some of the league’s top centers.
“I’ve definitely made some changes and I’ve worked as hard as I could in order to be given that opportunity.” Kadri said on Thursday about becoming the Leafs #1 center. “I’ve had some great conversations with (Babcock) on the phone and in person hearing what he says about me or what he thinks of me as a player (which) is definitely motivating.”
Peter Holland improved last season with 11 goals and 14 assists in 62 games in his first full season and adapted well handling additional responsibilities as a penalty killer, but will have to prove himself all over again the new bench boss with an influx of forwards capable of playing up the middle added over the summer.
Depth Options - Toronto has a number of veterans who have the versatility to play center or wing and could be moved around as Babcock gets a feel for his new club. Shawn Matthias scored 18 goals for Vancouver, but tallied only nine assists in 78 games, which may make him a better fit as a triggerman on the wing than a playmaker up the middle.
Mark Arcobello signed a one-year deal after scoring 17 goals in a season in which he played for four NHL teams. Daniel Winnik played center and wing for the Leafs last season before being traded to Pittsburgh at the deadline and could provide solid two-way play on a checking line, while Nick Spaling (acquired as part of the Kessel deal) probably fits better on the left side.
The chances of 2014 top pick William Nylander making the big club are minute based on the club’s desire to have their young players develop as complete players. The 19-year-old may have the ability to make the NHL this season, but the Leafs are moving the speedy Swede to the middle, where he is bound to have growing pains while he learns the position.
Sam Carrick played 16 games late last season and provides energy and sandpaper to a lineup that could be short of both. If injuries or lackluster play occur, the 23-year-old Markham native could get a chance on the fourth line.
According to TSN’s Craig Button , Toronto has hired former NHLer Jim Vesey as a scout.
The 49-year-old is the father of Leafs 2014 draft pick Nolan Vesey, who is entering his sophomore season at the University of Maine and Jimmy Vesey, a 3rd round pick of the Nashville Predators playing for Harvard. The Preds were unable to sign the 22-year-old winger this summer, who is a leading candidate for the Hobey Baker Award for the top US college player.
After completing his senior season, Vesey could choose to sign with Nashville or become an unrestricted free agent, like University of Minnesota defenseman Mike Reilly did this summer. The Columbus draft choice(whose father is a minority owner of the Minnesota Wild) decided not to join the Blue Jackets after the season and signed a bonus laden entry-level deal with the Wild.
It is not stretch to think that Vesey after another successful season with the Crimson could choose to go the route of Kevin Hayes, Reilly and Justin Schultz and determine the best place for his future. A team that drafted his brother and employs his father might have an advantage in that situation.
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