You may think that the Toronto Maple Leafs roster is set right now, but trust me, there will be a few surprises when the team opens up their season on October 9 versus the Montreal Canadiens.
If you look back at the Toronto Maple Leafs opening night roster last year, there were two big shocks.
No, it wasn’t the fact that Ryan Reaves actually made the team, but it was that Noah Gregor and Fraser Minten did.
Gregor, signed with the Leafs after a PTO, and proved worthy of a contract. Meanwhile, everyone expected the team to send Minten down to junior, but he started four games, before eventually spending the rest of the year with the Saskatoon Blades.
Although neither player made an impact with the team when the playoffs started, they were still a surprise to make the team and I imagine the same thing will happen this year. As we look forward to the 2024-25 season, the Leafs have a number of rookies, and a few veterans, who could break into the line-up.
As much as the team’s top-six is set, training camp could change everything and eventual trades could make this roster look completely different.
Calle Jarnkrok, David Kampf and Ryan Reaves should all be on the trading block because they’re making way too much money for the production they give.
They’re all fine players in their own right, but they should not be combining for $6M, when you could have better production for half the price.
We’ll see what eventually happens when the Leafs open up their season, but here are three players who could shock us all and make the roster on opening night.
3 Players Who Could Surprisingly Make Toronto Maple Leafs Opening Line-Up
No. 1: Easton Cowan
If you only looked at Cowan’s point total’s and accomplishments last season, you wouldn’t think that he’d be a huge shock to make the Leafs line-up this year, but he still would be a surprise, based on his age.
Despite scoring 34 goals and registering 96 points, while earning the Red Tilson Trophy as OHL’s Most Outstanding Player, Cowan is only 19-years-old and might not be ready for the next step.
His skill is outstanding and potential is through the roof, but he still has a long way to go to show that he can do it at the professional level. Based on Cowan’s skillset, he’s in a similar position as Nick Robertson was when he jumped to the NHL.
Personally, I’d prefer to see Cowan continue to dominate in the OHL, be a leader for Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships this year and then potentially find his way into the line-up for the playoffs. I see his future and best approach in a similar light to Matthew Knies, when he was able to add some energy to the Leafs line-up in the playoffs, instead of the Robertson way.
Although I’m saying all of this, there is still a chance that Cowan makes the team and his elite skill finds his way to the team’s top-six. If the Leafs want to solve their depth problems, they should move John Tavares to 3C and then move William Nylander to 2C, which would open up a right-wing position with Cowan’s name on it.
I don’t think we’ll see Cowan with the team on opening night, but there’s always a chance, which is why this one would still shock me.
No. 2: Topi Niemela
It feels like we’ve been talking about Topi Niemela forever, but the 22-year-old has only played one full professional season in North America, so far. Hyped as the team’s top defensive prospect, Niemela seems ready to make the leap to the NHL.
Although it’s not too shocking to think of Niemela as an NHL player, it is right now as the team’s defensive line-up looks set.
The Leafs currently have six NHL defenseman on the roster, so which player would he knock off between Chris Tanev, Oliver Ekman-Larrson, Timothy Liljegren, Jake McCabe, Morgan Rielly and Simon Benoit?
This seems incredibly unlikely, but of all the players, it feels like Benoit would be the most likely to find his way to the press box as he is a borderline NHL regular, at best.
I’m not hoping, or predicting, that a defenseman will get hurt, but it’s possible that one does and it opens the door for Niemela.
The right-handed defenseman got into a groove with the Marlies last year and was playing in all situations, which should get Leafs fans excited. He’d be a shock to make the team’s opening night line-up, but if he plays well enough in training camp, he could find a way.
No. 3: Matt Murray
Let’s get crazy with this one. I’m not predicting that Matt Murray is going to be the team’s opening night starter, or is going to play 50 games this year, but it’s possible he finds his way into the NHL line-up.
The main reason for this is because Joseph Woll is a bandaid and never seems to be fully healthy.
I know that Murray is coming off hip surgery and hasn’t played a game in over a year, but Woll’s health has been just as unlikely in recent years.
Right when we have all been ready to appoint Woll as the team’s number-one option, he gets injured. In the biggest game of the year last year, Woll couldn’t even stay healthy and we were all shocked to see Ilya Samsonov between the pipes.
I don’t think anyone would be comfortable with seeing Murray on the bench or in the net for the opening game, but wouldn’t that be an unbelievable story? Murray is only 30-years-old, and is a previous two-time Stanley Cup winner, so flying under the radar could be the best thing that’s ever happened to him.
There are zero expectations for him as the team’s third option this year, which could actually help him. As much as Murray might not have been the same player he was in Pittsburgh, during his tenure in Toronto, he hasn’t been terrible. The biggest issue has been health, so it’s quite possible that he could return to form after having hip surgery.
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