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T-minus one sleep until Maple Leafs training camp officially gets underway with media day/physicals on Wednesday.
In addition to that, incredibly, the season opener is now just 21 short days away.
Hockey’s back.
Before things get going for real on October 9th in Montreal, new bench boss Craig Berube will have the next three weeks or so to mould the roster to his liking. Naturally, there will be a few decisions to make.
With that in mind, here are three players to watch with camp set for liftoff.
NICK ROBERTSON
If there’s one player who needs to have a good showing in training camp, it’s the 23-year-old winger, who’s fresh off signing a one-year extension. Sheldon Keefe’s gone and Craig Berube’s in, which means like everyone else, Robertson will be starting with a clean slate. Call it a broken record, but somehow some way, the 2019 second-rounder needs to find a way to make an impact every time he plays. Like many young players, he’s struggled to find two-way consistency at the NHL level, and ultimately, that’s why he’s been unable to make the permanent jump. Regardless of the continued trade speculation, a new voice could be just what Robertson needs to find his way.
EASTON COWAN
Fresh off winning the OHL’s Red Tilson Trophy as league MVP with the London Knights, the 19-year-old now firmly has sights set on cracking Toronto’s opening night roster. While the task may seem daunting, entering camp, there’s no question Cowan will get every opportunity to make the team. Effectively, it’s up to him. Simply put, the Leafs will have to decide whether to make room for the youngster or send him back to the CHL, a league he thoroughly dominated in 2023-24. Furthermore, if the feisty forward’s going to make the full-time jump to the National League, he’ll need to find a way to be dependable on both sides of the puck.
FRASER MINTEN
Unlike Cowan, Minten has some NHL experience to his name. Last fall, the 20-year-old came out of seemingly nowhere to crack the team out of camp. He went on to play four games before ultimately being sent back to Junior. For Minten, the big thing working in his favour is the fact that he plays centre. Considering Toronto’s lack of high-end depth up the middle, it’s conceivable to suggest that the 2022 second-rounder could find his way on the initial roster for the second straight year if he puts together another strong camp. Having said that, because he doesn’t have to go through waivers, it’s likely that Minten will start the year with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies. You never know, though.
