The Toronto Maple Leafs went through their paces in the second day of training camp at the Ford Performance Centre in Etobicoke, ON in preparation for their first preseason game vs. Montreal on Saturday. While the recovery of top scorer Auston Matthews from offseason wrist surgery and the tandem of Jack Campbell and Petr Mrazek being up to the task are important, the most important story of camp appears to be the battle for roster spots on the left side.
It is likely that head coach Sheldon Keefe will experiment with different combinations on the port side through the six preseason games, but to start camp it is new addition Nick Ritchie who is getting the first chance to take the spot of Zach Hyman with Mitch Marner and Adam Brooks as Matthews stand-in.
"I mean obviously (Ritchie is) a big boy. He gets around the net, he's got very good hands around that net. I know from the past that he is not afraid to throw his body around." Marner said. “He brings a lot of excitement to our team and another big body that is not afraid to be around that net and for some greasy goals in."
The potential downside is that Ritchie may not have the requisite speed to keep up with Matthews and Marner, but having that size and snarl with that top unit would be enticing.
Ilya Mikheyev skated on the left side with Alex Kerfoot and William Nylander on Friday and could get a chance in the top six if he is better able to convert on scoring chances than he has in the first two NHL seasons.
Free agent Michael Bunting could also be in the mix and after putting up good numbers with Arizona last season, but has only 26 NHL games under his belt. Head coach Sheldon Keefe (who coached Bunting for two seasons in Sault Ste. Marie) has the 26-year-old playing with team captain John Tavares, which could be an indicator of where he will start the regular season.
"I just look at (Michael's) skill set, he's a guy that is really hard on the puck, but also very good and tenacious around the net and loves to score goals." Keefe said. "He showed that last season in Arizona as well, if you look at a lot of the goals he scored, there's not a whole lot of fluky goals there. He's in the right places and he's challenging the crease and getting after the net. That's what he does is, he's developed some great confidence."
Tryout candidates Josh Ho-Sang and Nikita Gusev have loads of talent, but are wildcards that could work out and earn a spot or could be released in a couple weeks. Rookie Nick Robertson also has an opportunity to take a step after impressing at the prospect tournament in Traverse City, MI.
"I can't tell you the chances (of making the team), I just got to work hard every day and that's my focus, I've got confidence in myself and just take a turn and take it day-by-day." Robertson said. "This year, I'm more confident in myself and playmaking ability. Hopefully this exhibition games I can show that to the organization."
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