Noah Gregor is ready to fight for a roster spot in training camp.
In case you missed it, the Leafs signed the 25-year-old Alberta native to a PTO last week. The centre, who potted 10 goals in 57 outings for the San Jose Sharks last season, is expected to duke it out with the likes of Dylan Gambrell, Bobby McMann, and Pontus Holmberg, among others, for a roster spot.
Furthermore, Jay Rosehill and I had a chance to spend some time with Gregor before he flew to Toronto to get prepped for camp. Funny enough, he disclosed to us that he’ll be staying with Gambrell. As mentioned, the two will essentially be duking it out for the same roster spot. And obviously, I had to follow up on the dynamic of all that: “Probably just friendly competition. We’re really good buddies,” Gregor said.
In Gregor, the Leafs are getting a reliable bottom-six forward who’s responsible and knows his role. Personally, I think he’s super underrated. I mean, aside from your hardcore hockey fan, who’s routinely staying up – at least in the east coast – to watch San Jose Sharks games? Well, at the very least, you’ll get a chance to show what he’s got.
Meantime, as for how the PTO came together, Gregor said it’s been in the works for a while: “Ever really since the first day of free agency there, Toronto’s kind of been a team that I’ve been in talks with.”
Anyway, we’ll see how it works out. I love internal competition. Furthermore, Toronto had nothing to lose by signing Gregor to a professional tryout for training camp. If he plays well, they can figure out a way to sign him. If not, they can cut bait. No harm, no foul. And for a cap-strapped team like Toronto, that’s perfect.
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