Steven Lorentz clearing waivers is a small win on an off-day for the Maple Leafs.
They have kept a useful depth player in the organization while gaining flexibility to shuffle him between the Leafs and Marlies—or simply on and off the roster, whether he plays down there or not—as they sort out the bottom of the lineup. That flexibility has a limit, of course: after he plays 10 NHL games or spends 30 days on the NHL roster following today’s clearance, he would need to clear waivers again before another reassignment.
The preseason schedule may have somewhat worked in the Leafs’ favour here. Fewer games meant fewer chances to evaluate the roster, but the Leafs now have the entire weekend off to rest and bond in Arizona while many other clubs are still playing and sorting through their cuts.
Maybe there wouldn’t have been any interest in the 30-year-old Lorentz with another season remaining on his contract ($1.35 million AAV) regardless of that timing, but the Leafs will take the result. Infamously, during the Kyle Dubas era, the Leafs regularly lost depth on waivers, including at this time of year, and some of it was useful—most memorably, Curtis McElhinney and Calvin Pickard were both claimed on the same day before the 2018-19 season. Aaron Dell, Jimmy Vesey, and Travis Boyd followed in 2021, along with Adam Brooks and Michael Amadio. Ryan Dzingel and Nicolas Aubé-Kubel were claimed in 2022, as was goalie Harri Säteri, whom the Leafs hilariously lost immediately after signing him out of Europe. After Dubas, waiver claims slowed to more normal levels; the Leafs lost William Lagesson in 2024, Dakota Mermis later that year before reclaiming him, and Cayden Primeau in 2025.
It will be easy to put Lorentz out of mind now that he’s been waived off the roster, but nothing is by any means final, and he may yet prove to be part of the Leafs’ best fourth line configuration, for all we know. A Lorentz–Teddy Blueger–Brandon Duhaime trio looked effective in the Leafs’ preseason game in Ottawa, and the numbers were reasonably encouraging from Lorentz last season when he was buried in the defensive zone alongside Scott Laughton, with whom he also formed a legitimately effective penalty-killing duo. Clearing waivers gives the Leafs room to test other combinations on the PK and fourth line while keeping this option in the mix.
For now, they are also preserving a couple of different elements as they make those decisions. Zack MacEwen brings less hockey-playing ability but more jam and more willingness to step in for teammates by dropping the gloves. Bo Groulx gives them a more credible offensive option to fill in higher in the lineup if Nick Paul or another top-nine forward is unavailable (even if Paul misses no time, it is probably worth looking at Groulx in one of the bottom-six LW or C spots, honestly).
How long any of these players remain in the picture is another question. Paul’s and Dakota Joshua’s injury status could change the roster math; new names will keep hitting the waiver wire, and the Leafs could make other moves before opening night.
NHL teams often easily use more than 30 players over a full season, and now we’re into an 84-game reality. For the moment, Lorentz’s clearance lets the Leafs keep exploring without losing a player who may still play a useful role for them this season.
What they haven’t done yet is open up any contract spot flexibility; the Leafs currently sit at 49 contracts under the 50-contract limit, with Nick Blankenburg on a PTO/not yet signed.
