In Part 1 of our training camp preview, we focused on the NHL roster and the players fighting for opportunity.
Now, we’ll move deeper down the depth chart to examine the Maple Leafs players jockeying to either steal a job or earn the first call-up, as well as a few darkhorses to keep an eye on at camp.
Bubble players who could force a trade
Michael Pezzetta
The Leafs handed Pezzetta a two-year deal this offseason, so he’s clearly a player they want around, but his $812K salary is fully buriable in the minors, so by no means is he guaranteed anything. Working in his favour, though, is that he plays a very specific role that Brad Treliving values and nobody else on the Leafs roster really brings.
Pezzetta experienced a tough season last year in Montreal, but he actually won his five-on-five minutes the season before with defensive usage on a fairly mediocre Habs team. When on his game, he can be a good forechecker who brings a physical element to the forward group. We will see if it is enough to win a job over veterans who can offer more across the board, but it is a defined role that only Pezetta can really offer.
Notably, Pezetta is also cheaper than some of the other veterans on the bubble who could be sitting out as healthy scratches. He can easily slot in as a 14th forward, but the Leafs would have to clear out a body to make it happen.
Easton Cowan
On the complete opposite spectrum of Pezzetta is Easton Cowan, who reportedly now weighs 190 pounds and stands 6’0, which is about 20 pounds heavier and an inch or two taller than when he was drafted.
If Cowan does make the team, it should really only be in a top-six role, as it wouldn’t make sense to put him in a checking role alongside Nic Roy or a fourth-line spot with limited minutes when they can fill a similar role with a Nick Robertson, who has shown he can produce there. The question is whether he could make a case for playing alongside John Tavares in an offensive role; on paper, Tavares would be a great mentor if Cowan is ready for the big leagues.
The Leafs are chock-full of veterans and other skill players who will want to win the spot, like Maccelli and Robertson, so Cowan would have to put on quite the show to seriously enter the conversation. Still, he has enough pedigree and talent to warrant the label “bubble player” heading into camp. We’ll see how he fares.
Henry Thrun
Acquired in exchange for Ryan Reaves, the 6’2 Thrun entered the league as a skilled defenseman who led two really good Harvard teams (including a championship) in scoring from the back end. With the Sharks, his game didn’t quite translate, though.
We will see if a more mature and structured Leafs team proves to be a better fit for Thrun, as he does offer the team a little bit more mobility and puck movement, attributes they generally lack on the blue line. Working against Thrun is that he’s a left-handed defenseman, so he’d have to beat out Simon Benoit — who the coaching staff really likes — only to keep OEL on the right side anyway.
It seems unlikely Thrun would bump Benoit in camp and preseason, so his battle is more with the player listed right below him, Philippe Myers. The Leafs have a glut of NHL forwards, so it seems likely they will keep 14 on the roster. If they do, they can only keep one of Thrun or Myers up with the big club to start the season, barring injury.
Philippe Myers
Myers has a few things going for him over Thrun. Firstly, he played 36 games for the team last season, and they thought highly enough of him to reward him with a two-year contract afterward. Secondly, Myers is right-handed, and the Leafs only have two full-time right-handed options at the moment. That’s a significant advantage for Myers in a camp battle; again, the team really likes Benoit, so if their five veterans are healthy and in the lineup, the main benefit to bumping Benoit out would be to shift OEL to his strong side.
Myers entered the offseason as the team’s seventh defenseman, and while the organization definitely added depth and competition, it still feels like it’s his spot to lose.
Depth players jockeying for the first call-up
Travis Boyd
Boyd played for the Leafs in the COVID season and was claimed on waivers by the Canucks halfway through the campaign. He’s up to 299 games of NHL experience and has shown he can provide some offense in the big leagues, but struggles to provide much else, which is why he has only been a regular on lottery-bound Arizona teams.
At 31 years of age, Boyd is what he is at this level, so it’s hard to imagine he’d snatch anyone’s job out of camp. Still, a right-handed forward with some level of skill to produce at the NHL level might be able to provide a shot in the arm offensively at some point, if necessary.
Vinni Lettieri
The 30-year-old Lettieri played 47 games in the AHL last season, piling up 50 points. He’s proven to be an effective producer on the farm, but the 5’11 forward hasn’t been able to translate it to the NHL. Unlike Boyd, who does have some reasonably productive seasons (including a 17-goal campaign) under his belt in the NHL, Lettieri strikes me as more of an AHL veteran who can help elevate the Marlies more than anything else. But, among the pro hockey veterans in this bucket, he can still try to position himself as a call-up should injuries strike.
Benoit-Olivier Groulx
Groulx, 25, has played 65 games in the NHL to date but has just five points to his name. He spent all of last season in the AHL, where he produced a strong year, and the Leafs thought enough of him to hand him a two-year deal. The hope would be that the 2018 second-round pick is a late bloomer, but there might be 18 or so forwards ahead of him on the Leafs’ depth chart, so he needs a good camp to put himself on the radar.
Dakota Mermis
After a whirlwind season in which he broke his jaw, was claimed on waivers, and then was reclaimed by the Leafs, Mermis got into a few games for the Leafs down the stretch and was solid for the big club. The Leafs liked him enough to reward him with a two-year deal to keep him in the organization.
Mermis isn’t much of a point producer, but he can make a good outlet pass, has some mobility, and can play both sides. Mermis might be in tough to beat out a few of the defensemen we listed in the previous category, but the organization seems to like him enough for us to believe he’s likely to see some games if and when injuries strike.
Matt Benning
The now 31-year-old Benning is a veteran of 464 games in the NHL. Injuries have set his career back; he was once a solid, everyday player in the league. Last season, he played seven games for the Sharks before the trade to the Leafs and played 39 games for the Marlies (plus two playoff games).
By all accounts, Benning had a healthy offseason of training this summer, and he is right-handed, which could give him a leg up over some of the other competition. However, he didn’t exactly leap off the page with the Marlies. The path to pushing for NHL opportunity starts with parlaying a healthy offseason into an inspired camp showing that suggests he can still play in the league. The Leafs likely don’t want to risk losing younger players like Myers and Thrun over Benning, even if Benning did show well, but a good preseason could mean a call-up at some point.
Marshall Rifai
In Sheldon Keefe’s final season with the team, Rifai got into a few NHL games and acquitted himself well. Brad Treliving thought enough of him to sign him to a two-year deal that season. The organization wanted to deter waiver claims and liked Rifai’s development to date.
Last season, Rifai stalled somewhat, producing at a lower rate and never sniffing a call-up with the big club. Rifai is now 27 years old, and his two-year contract begins this season, but he’s looking up at a lot of defensemen with more cache and will need to work his way up a tall ladder.
Dark Horses
Jacob Quillan
Quillan’s game really developed as his first pro season progressed, earning a call-up with the Leafs as a reward. The 23-year-old has the tools to be a 4C in the league. Similar to the David Kampf conversation, if Quillan could grab a spot and allow the Leafs to move Scott Laughton around, it could benefit the team up the lineup.
The safe bet is that Quillan needs more seasoning, but his growth in the second half of last season with the Marlies was significant enough to earn a mention here. He produced 25 points in the last 34 games of the season, and his game grew across different roles as the Marlies fought for a playoff spot.
Quillan isn’t huge at 6’1, but he is solidly built at over 200 pounds. Berube praised his speed when he was called up, and it’s not a stretch to believe he could turn heads in preseason. However, with his waiver exemption, Quillan would need to stand head and shoulders above a veteran to win a spot. It’s a lot to ask.
Luke Haymes
Haymes doesn’t have a full season in the AHL under his belt like Quillan does, but he came to Toronto with a bit more pedigree and immediately showed it with the Marlies late last season, producing six points in his first nine pro games.
Working against the 6’1, 200+ pound forward: The Leafs’ logjam on the left, where all of Matthew Knies, Dakota Joshua, and Steven Lorentz are locked in, and center has Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Nic Roy and Scott Laughton pretty firmly in place. There are also other left-shot wingers on the roster in McMann, Maccelli, and Robertson. There’s really nothing Haymes can do to beat out those players, but he’s listed here because he produced right away in the AHL and already has the physical build to withstand the league. Add his shot to the equation, and he’s at least worth a mention as a dark horse who could spark an interesting conversation or two if he turns heads at his first NHL training camp.
William Villeneuve
Compared to Quillan and Haymes — young players you’d like to see push the veterans, but don’t necessarily fill NHL roster needs — Villeneuve actually would help fill a need for the Leafs on paper. The right-handed defenseman is 6’2 and took a notable step offensively with the Marlies last season, producing 40 points in 55 games following back-to-back 25-point seasons. While I wouldn’t exactly write him into a power play quarterback role or anything of the sort, he can bring some mobility and skill to the back-end, and right-handed shots are a need for the team on the third pair.
By Treliving’s own admission, the Leafs need some more skill on the backend, and in a perfect world, they can try to fill the need internally. Villeneuve offers their best bet at the moment, even if it requires a leap of faith to believe he’s ready for it right now. His toolbox and production in the AHL earn him a mention as a dark horse.
