Final week of Toronto Maple Leafs camp
The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into the final week of training camp and have three pre-season games remaining. The Leafs will suit up against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday and will finish up with two games against Detroit on Friday and Saturday. However,
the Leafs still have several decisions to make and with only three games left one can expect coach Ron Wilson to try several different combinations in the coming week.
At the moment the Leafs camp looks to be split into three different categories. Of the 30 players still remaining with the team most of them are guaranteed a spot, while the remainder are either battling for a final position or destined for the American Hockey
League. Below is a list of notable players in each category.
Guaranteed a spot
The Leafs have several players that have locked up spots. The likes of Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak, Chris Versteeg, Colby Armstrong, Dion Phaneuf, Tomas Kaberle and other notable veterans were always guaranteed a spot with the big club. However, not many fans
were expecting Christian Hanson to have played his way onto the team this early in the pre-season. Hanson has had an impressive camp, which he capped off with a goal against Buffalo on Monday. The hulking centre is the favourite to lead the fourth line this
season.
Battling for a position
The Leafs have three players who look as though they have a legitimate shot of earning a spot on the 2010-11 opening day roster. Luca Caputi has had an impressive camp playing on the left side and earning his keep as a power forward. It will be a tough for
the youngster to beat out the likes of Clarke MacArthur and Freddy Sjostrom, but his play has been impressive and could be what Brian Burke and Wilson are looking for up front.
Similarly Jay Rosehill has made a name for himself as a tough guy and could muscle his way into some fourth line duty this season. Rosehill’s biggest competition is Mike Brown, who has been playing fairly well for Toronto. Nevertheless, Rosehill’s aggressive
nature and ability to drop the gloves with League heavyweights could earn him the final spot on the wing.
The Leafs are also likely to keep defender Brett Lebda for opening night. Lebda has displayed his worth as a reliable defender with good mobility. Lebda also brings with him a winning attitude, having hoisted the cup with the Detroit Red Wings. Lebda is unlikely
to earn a starting job, however could join as a seventh defender.
Destined for the AHL
The most notable Leaf destined for a season in the AHL is Nazem Kadri. The youngster has simply looked completely out of place this pre-season and does not seem to have the flair for the dramatic as he did when he impressed Leafs fans last year. Moreover, Tim
Brent has been playing well in third-line duty and many believe it is his job to lose at this point.
Defender Danny Richmond is also likely to earn AHL duty next season, as the Leafs’ defence is simply too deep for the youngster. Richmond had a strong camp, but would need to be chosen ahead of Lebda, Jeff Finger and Matt Lashoff, which is very unlikely.
Finally it has already been revealed that goalie James Reimer will be sent back to the AHL before the start of the season. Reimer is still with the team in order to back up J-S Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson as the two begin to take full starts.
Toronto still has several difficult decisions to make as they enter their final week of camp. The final three games of the pre-season will certainly be exciting ones for Leafs fans as they wait to find out the club’s opening night roster.
Tags: