"The Toronto Maple Leafs pre-season is in full swing, and with the NHL regular season right around the corner, speculation over which players will and won't make the final roster has begun. With four pre-season games now under their belt, a lot of the easy cuts have been made already, or will be made in the coming days. But making the final cuts? That'll be a little tougher, especially with the Leafs off-season prioritizing depth over star players."
"Look at the mock roster from DailyFaceoff, the only real obvious guy on the roster who could be cut is Easton Cowan, who has had a solid but unspectacular pre-season to date. In Cowan's case, it could even be better for his development to play for the Marlies, this season, but I could be wrong on that. I also have a tough time seeing Michael Pezzetta cracking the roster."
Pre-season play accelerates final roster decisions as easy cuts occur and tougher choices approach. Projected opening-night forward lines show Knies–Matthews–Domi, McMann–Tavares–Nylander, Joshua–Roy–Maccelli, and Lorentz–Laughton–Cowan. Depth forwards David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, Michael Pezzetta, and Nick Robertson remain off those lines and compete for limited openings. Easton Cowan has had a solid but unspectacular pre-season and could benefit developmentally from starting the year in the AHL with the Marlies. Michael Pezzetta is unlikely to crack the NHL roster and may begin in the AHL. Kampf and Jarnkrok offer limited offense, making Robertson the preferred candidate for the remaining NHL spot.
Read at Editor In Leaf
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]