Steven Lorentz hitting waivers on Thursday is a mildly surprising development for a player who led a credible Maple Leafs penalty kill in shorthanded ice time among forwards last season and has shown he can capably handle a defensively-tilted fourth-line assignment.
It may also say as much about Nick Paul’s uncertain status for opening night and the players or different roster elements the Leafs are trying to keep around as it does about Lorentz.
Bo Groulx’s waiver-eligible status is one factor to consider off the top. After leaving Wednesday’s first period, projected 3C Nick Paul is day-to-day and “unsure” for opening night, according to Jim Hiller, underlining the age-old truism that you can never have enough center options on an NHL roster. Lorentz has filled in down the middle, but Groulx is the more credible option there and showed well alongside limited linemates in Michael Pezzetta and Zack MacEwen during the preseason finale against Ottawa.
Talent-wise, Groulx can more credibly play on a third line, either on the left wing of Colton Sissons or at center himself, than Lorentz could. In fact, Groulx can do it more credibly than several of the other forwards at the bottom of the Leafs’ roster at the moment (Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger, Zack MacEwen).
Groulx has his own limitations, including some inadequacies in the faceoff circle. Still, he is four years younger than Lorentz, can play center or wing, also kills penalties, and provides more of a shooting and finishing threat. He tore up the AHL last season and chipped in offensively during his Leafs stint, all while earning the league minimum. The Leafs may have judged him harder to get through waivers than the 30-year-old Lorentz, who carries a $1.35 million cap hit for this season and next (that extra year could help deter a potential claim).
Zack MacEwen has also remained in the fourth-line conversation. His size, energy, right shot, and two-thirds of a Gordie Howe hat trick against Ottawa (a goal and a fight) will have won him some favour through camp. He is willing to get his nose dirty and drop the gloves, qualities that matter for a Leafs team that needs to — for several reasons — respond better when opponents take liberties this season. Lorentz lacks the same edge and has never been eager to drop the mitts.
We also have a large NHL sample of what MacEwen provides: typically six to nine minutes a night, with significant offensive limitations (34 points in 240 NHL games, or an 11-point pace as a full-season average). Lorentz is the more credible 10-plus-minute player who can contribute eight to 10 goals and around 20 points while handling defensive assignments and taking on meaningful penalty-killing work. If you were making a straight choice between the two, there would be a hockey cost to losing Lorentz.
That said, the Leafs may not be making that discrete of a choice here. Several moves and decisions remain before opening night. Dakota Joshua, working his way back from a core muscle injury, has practiced but did not play in the preseason or skate on a regular line much, while Paul’s status remains uncertain for Sep. 29. IR may factor in for Paul and/or Joshua; waiving through Joshua’s contract, with another season at more than $3 million, is another possible avenue for roster flexibility if the Leafs need it. Elsewhere on the roster, there is a decision to be made about potentially carrying an eighth defenseman (Nick Blankenburg’s PTO).
In addition to the moving pieces with injuries, there is also a ton of waiver activity to come around the league in the lead-up to September 29, which could introduce an external option into this mix. It would be hard to refer to any of Groulx, MacEwen, Joshua, or (clearly) Lorentz as safe or locks for the opening-day roster at the moment. Stay tuned.
Note: Brendan Brisson, Vinni Lettieri, Philippe Myers, Michael Pezzetta, Marshall Rifai, Henrik Rybinski, and Ryan Tverberg all joined Lorentz on waivers as of Thursday afternoon. The other roster cuts are below, with nothing too unexpected among them.
Steven Lorentz hitting waivers on Thursday is a mildly surprising development for a player who led a credible Maple Leafs penalty kill in shorthanded...
