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Training Camp Cuts: 10/8/22

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With the deadline for opening rosters just a couple of days away, many teams will be trimming down their rosters this weekend.  We’ll keep track of today’s cuts here.

Buffalo Sabres (via team release)

F Sean Malone (to Rochester, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via team release)

G Anton Khudobin (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (via team release)

G Sebastian Cossa (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team release)

F Brad Malone* (to Bakersfield, AHL)
D Markus Niemelainen (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)

D Mark Friedman (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL) (via separate team release; has cleared waivers)
G Filip Lindberg (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
F Samuel Poulin (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

F Martin Frk (to Springfield, AHL)
F Matthew Highmore (to Springfield, AHL)
F Klim Kostin (to Springfield, AHL)

Toronto Maple Leafs (via team release)

F Nick Abruzzese (to Toronto, AHL)
F Joey Anderson* (to Toronto, AHL)
F Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (to Toronto, AHL)
G Dylan Ferguson (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mac Hollowell* (to Toronto, AHL)
G Erik Kallgren (to Toronto, AHL)
D Mikko Kokkonen (to Toronto, AHL)
F Bobby McMann (to Toronto, AHL)
D Marshall Rifai (to Toronto, AHL)
F Alex Steeves (to Toronto, AHL)

*-pending waivers

This post will be updated throughout the day.

John Tavares “Not Ruled Out” For Season Opener

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Toronto Maple Leafs captain John Tavares isn’t ruled out of next Wednesday’s season opener, said head coach Sheldon Keefe today, but as NHL.com’s Mike Zeisberger notes, the chances of him playing are waning.

Tavares suffered an oblique injury in his preseason debut on September 24. At the time, Tavares was slated to miss three weeks – likely missing the team’s first three games and returning on October 17 against the Arizona Coyotes.

But Tavares began skating again two days ago on Monday, a welcome sign for the team and its fans. Today, Keefe commented on his status:

It’s all going to be (based) on his recovery. I think it was a really positive day for him today, but the way that it would track out in terms of the plan that was set was that he wouldn’t be available. What his body is telling him is going to dictate that.

In the meantime, the Maple Leafs could make some interesting decisions. William Nylander took line rushes at center today during practice, centering a prospective second line between preseason stars Nicholas Robertson and Denis Malgin. It would be the first time Nylander had meaningfully played center at any point since the 2019-20 season.

Regardless, the Leafs are hoping their team’s leader can get back in the room and on the ice in game action as soon as it’s feasible.

Toronto Maple Leafs Not Out Of Defenseman Market, Unlikely To Sign Anyone New However

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  • Speaking of injuries, after the Toronto Maple Leafs found out that depth defensemen Jordie Benn and Carl Dahlstrom would miss time, the former set to miss three weeks an the latter set to miss six months, the team was rumored to be in contact with several defensemen who were in NHL camps on PTO’s. Thus far, that has not come to fruition and in the past few days, several defenseman on PTO’s, including Nathan Beaulieu, Calvin de Haan, and Scott Harrington, signed with the teams they were trying out with. On today’s 32 Thoughts Podcast featuring Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek, Friedman cleared the air on these rumors, believing that the Maple Leafs had not been in on any of these defensemen, as the team would also like to sign forward Zach Aston-Reese, who is in camp with Toronto on a PTO.. Still, Friedman adds that the team could instead try to move one of its depth forwards out in exchange for a defenseman who is either waiver exempt or has already cleared. Right now, Toronto sits just below $2.9MM over the salary cap ceiling after re-signing defenseman Rasmus Sandin.
  • If Derick Brassard can catch on with the Ottawa Senators this season, it will mark his eighth different team since Ottawa dealt him to the Pittsburgh Penguins mid-way through the 2017-18 season. Once a dynamic offensive threat in the top-six group of the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, and the Senators, Brassard has become a veteran journeyman capable of playing whatever role his team needs, anywhere in the lineup. Earlier today on TSN 1200 in Ottawa, Brassard mentioned that he would like to try to play a similar role to the one Jason Spezza played with the Maple Leafs the past few seasons, one which was to be deployed in a myriad of different situations as his team saw fit. The Hull, Quebec native added that when the offseason began, his primary focus was on joining the Ottawa Senators and hadn’t thought much about other options. Brassard has of course been playing that role for a few seasons now, but being able to do so with a team so close to home as they turn the corner from rebuilder to contender, just as Spezza did, seems like a no-brainer if he can secure the opportunity.

Maple Leafs Calling About Defensemen On PTOs

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When Toronto lost of a pair of depth defensemen to injuries earlier this week (one of them a long-term injury), the team started calling around the league to inquire about of some of the veterans currently on PTOs, TSN’s Darren Dreger reports in the latest Insider Trading segment.  The Maple Leafs could sign one of those players on a tryout elsewhere as teams rarely stand in the way of someone getting a guaranteed contract but their search for extra depth could also have them monitoring the waiver wire over the next couple of weeks.  The re-signing of Rasmus Sandin will help but with Jake Muzzin and Timothy Liljegren already out on top of Wednesday’s two injuries, Toronto could certainly still use some depth on the back end.

Carl Dahlstrom To Undergo Surgery

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The Toronto Maple Leafs thought they had a bit of defensive depth going into the season but that is quickly evaporating. After having to play Alexander Kerfoot and Calle Jarnkrok on the blueline in their last preseason game, the team has announced timelines for two injured defensemen. Carl Dahlstrom will require surgery and be out six months after injuring his shoulder, while Jordie Benn is going to miss three weeks with a groin injury, according to David Alter of Sports Illustrated.

The injuries obviously aren’t ideal, but there at least was a bit of a silver lining in it for Maple Leafs fans. After seeing the team move forwards to cover those spots, restricted free agent Rasmus Sandin ended his contract negotiations and agreed to the deal that had been on the table for months. That softens some of the blow but losing Dahlstrom and Benn is still a problem, regardless of whether they were in line for big minutes.

With Jake Muzzin and Timothy Liljegren already dealing with injuries, and Toronto relying on Mark Giordano, the oldest skater in the league, the vibes in Maple Leafs camp certainly weren’t all that positive. With another injury or two, things could quickly look rather thin on the back end, if they aren’t there already. Victor Mete, another league-minimum signing, now looks like the default seventh defensemen, and that is if Muzzin is healthy enough to start the year.

Beyond him, the team’s depth is made up of unproven young players like Filip Kral and Mac Hollowell. In fact, there has suddenly been some chatter connecting Toronto with Jakob Chychrun, likely only because of these early injuries. Whether a deal of that magnitude is completed, or the team just goes and signs another veteran off the scrap heap, it does seem like the Maple Leafs will need to add someone to the organization.

Fabrice Herzog Signs Extension In Switzerland

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One of the oddities of the NHL CBA is how it treats draft picks from countries and leagues without a transfer agreement. Often, if that player never comes to North America, their exclusive rights are held indefinitely, making for some funny-looking reserve list entries.

One such entry is Fabrice Herzog, a 2013 draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who is continuing to star overseas for Zug EV. Herzog, 27, notched the championship-winning goal earlier this year for his Swiss club, and was a dominant force in their playoff run, scoring seven goals and 14 points in 15 games. Despite coming over to play one season in the QMJHL and five games in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies, Herzog never did sign an entry-level contract, meaning his rights will be held by Toronto until he does (or until he retires).

Today, Zug announced an extension for Herzog through the 2025-26 season. If there was any shred of hope that he would eventually try his hand in North America, that likely ends it. The two-time Olympian will play out his career at home, and remain on the Maple Leafs’ reserve list all the while.

Latest On Mitch Marner

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The Toronto Maple Leafs are battling some early injuries on their blueline, and it seems that their current situation has led the team to embrace some more unconventional strategies to fill out their defense. As relayed by Sports Illustrated’s David Alter, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said that the team is currently exploring different ways to utilize forward Mitch Marner on defense in certain situations. Keefe specifically cited a late-game situation where the team is down a goal as an example of the sort of situation where it could be appropriate to deploy Marner on the blueline.

While such an idea might seem extremely unorthodox or even desperate to some, but there is at least some precedent for these tryouts in the NHL. Legendary coach Scotty Bowman briefly experimented with using Hall of Fame forwards such as Sergei Fedorov and Bob Gainey on the blueline during his coaching career. Marner, a winger who has a well-regarded defensive game, could potentially carry on that tradition if the Maple Leafs’ poor injury luck continues.

Toronto Maple Leafs Sign Rasmus Sandin

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After losing two more depth defensemen last night, the Toronto Maple Leafs have finally reached an agreement with restricted free agent Rasmus Sandin. The two sides have agreed to a two-year, $2.8MM contract ($1.4MM AAV) which will pay Sandin $1.2MM this season and $1.6MM next season.

The team had Alexander Kerfoot and Calle Jarnkrok filling in on defense last night after losing Jordie Benn and Carl Dahlstrom to injury early in the game, making it even more critical to get Sandin signed and in camp as quickly as possible. While the young defenseman has been worried about his place with the organization, there is a massive opportunity in front of him.

Not only did those two go down but Jake Muzzin is dealing with a back issue, and Timothy Liljegren is set to miss six weeks with hernia surgery. It is Liljegren that is the comparison for this deal, as he signed the exact same two-year $2.8MM contract earlier this summer. Sandin will get a slightly higher qualifying offer, given the $1.6MM salary in 2023-24, but this is basically the contract that was offered to him months ago.

Notably, the team is now quite a bit over the salary cap ceiling but with Liljegren and John Tavares potentially starting the year on long-term injured reserve, there’s a little bit of flexibility. Getting Sandin signed now gives him the best chance of a good start to the season, as he will still have time to get up and running in training camp.

Getting him to sign a two-year deal is even better, as the Maple Leafs will secure another relatively cheap year from the young defender. Filled with promise, Sandin has still only played 88 regular season games in the NHL, including 51 last season. He does have 28 points in those games, and has flashed potential top-four upside, but to this point, very little is proven. He’ll get the chance to do so this season, one way or another.

Evening Notes: Nylander, Maple Leafs Injuries, Sillinger

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The Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans figure to have a tense few months throughout the 2023-24 NHL calendar, as superstar Auston Matthews will be eligible for an extension, and should he choose not to pursue one in Toronto, could head to the UFA market. But, even if Matthews were to re-sign, the UFA worry wouldn’t stop there, as William Nylander is also set to hit the market in the summer of 2024. It doesn’t feel like too long ago when Nylander held out as an RFA, ultimately signing a six-year, $45MM deal at the last minute on December 1st of 2018, but that long-term deal is now more than halfway complete.

Recently, The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel had a chance to sit down with Nylander to discuss his future. When asked about the possibility of an extension with the Maple Leafs or testing the free agent market, Nylander said it wasn’t something he had really thought much of, but added that it would be “unreal to stay,” especially if the team could go on a deep playoff run before then. Looking deeper into an extension, Siegel opines that if Nylander can build upon his 2021-22, where he had 80 points in 81 games, and help Toronto make a deep playoff run, not only does an extension with the Maple Leafs become more likely, but it could push his number to at least $9MM per season. On the other hand, if Toronto is still unable to take the next step in the playoffs, they could opt to move on from Nylander. Of course, there is still plenty of time for Nylander to establish who he is as a talent and two more postseasons before his contract formally expires but, as one of five members of a group of Maple Leafs superstars who may figure to earn a raise from his $6.96MM cap hit, the Maple Leafs could be poised to make an interesting decision either way.

  • Sticking with the Maple Leafs, the team lost two of its defenseman in tonight’s preseason contest against the Montreal Canadiens before the game was even half over. Veteran Jordie Benn, who signed with Toronto this offseason, suffered an undisclosed injury early on in the first period and left the game. The Maple Leafs have since announced that he will not return to the game for precautionary reasons. Also injured was Carl Dahlstrom, who the team soon after announced would not return to the game for precautionary reasons. Losing the pair puts the Maple Leafs in a tough circumstance early on in a preseason game, left with just four defenseman. At one point, forwards Calle Jarnkrok and Alexander Kerfoot were taking shifts on defense for Toronto.
  • Aaron Portzline of The Athletic tweeted that, per Columbus Blue Jackets radio host Dylan Tyrer, forward Cole Sillinger skated today in a non-contact sweater after he suffered an upper-body injury on the first day of training camp. Today’s skate was Sillinger’s first since the injury, and no timetable for a more formal return has been disclosed.

Jake Muzzin Returns To Practice

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