Well, it’s official – we have entered the dog days of summer. At this time of year, the sole genuine hockey news focuses on the business aspects of the sport, while NHL insiders are enjoying their well-earned break. For the Toronto Maple Leafs fan, most of us turn to the Toronto Blue Jays, but unfortunately, they are doing awful this season, so now the attention turns back to the NHL club and fans wonder what the roster could look like next season. Personally, I don’t think the roster that appears on PuckPedia or CapWages is the opening night roster. There are so many question marks surrounding what general manager Brad Treliving could still do to improve his team.
He has already put some much-needed work into the blue line and made improvements. However, some things are still up in the air, like the state of Jani Hakanpaa’s knees and whether he will be officially announced as a member of the Maple Leafs. Then there is the forward group; it is the same 12 forwards minus Tyler Bertuzzi that lost to the Boston Bruins in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. There needs to be changes there, no? Could David Kampf or Calle Jarnkrok be on the move to clear some cap space? Could Ryan Reaves be waived after training camp? Or the biggest question is, are the Maple Leafs going to run it back with the same Core Four, or is Mitch Marner going to be traded?
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Unfortunately, there have been zero answers to those questions, which means the Maple Leafs have around $1.25 million in cap space (according to PuckPedia) without the Hakanpaa contract on the books and Cade Webber starting in the American Hockey League (AHL). This also reflects the recent signing of Connor Dewar to a one-year deal with an average annual value (AAV) of $1.18 million as well as Matt Murray starting in the AHL. If they waive or trade Conor Timmins, they could free up another $1.1 million in cap space and give themselves $2.3 million to target some players on professional tryouts (PTO). Remember that they only get paid if the PTO results in a contract with the team. With that, let’s look at a few options for PTOs.
Jarrod Tinordi
First up, the rough-and-tough defenceman Jarrod Tinordi. It is clear what Treliving wants his blue line to consist of: lots of hard-to-play-against defenders and a few puck movers. If the Hakanpaa contract doesn’t get signed, Tinordi would be a good alternative. He doesn’t quite do the same thing that a Chris Tanev-style defenceman does, but he plays his role and plays it hard. He likes to mix it up; he goes hard into the fight and doesn’t back down, which is both Treliving and head coach Craig Berube’s style of hockey. Tinordi hadn’t been an everyday NHLer until he played for the Chicago Blackhawks for the last two seasons, and even then, the most games he appeared in were 52. That is good though; he is used to playing a depth defenceman role throughout his entire career, which is what the Maple Leafs need.
They aren’t signing Tinordi to be an everyday contributor on the blue line because they have six everyday NHL defenders. They need 40-45 games from him, where he will play hard and do his job. His job is to hit everything that moves that is wearing the opposition’s sweater, block shots, and protect his goalie’s crease. It seems easy, doesn’t it? No, it isn’t; it takes a specific type of player to excel in the role, and he is one of them who does it. Last season, with the aforementioned Blackhawks, he played in 52 games and recorded nine points (all assists), 94 blocks, and 174 hits. That is the ideal depth defenceman for how Treliving has built his blue line. Additionally, with him being signed to a PTO, if he gets off to a bad start in training camp, then the Maple Leafs have fallback options in both Dakota Mermis and Philippe Myers, who were signed to two-way deals.
Nick Cousins
Next up is Nick Cousins; even though he has a reputation for being a “rat” type of player, he could easily replace either Jarnkrok, Kampf or even Reaves. Now, all three of those players play very different roles, but Cousins can match their offensive output at a cheaper cost. He also plays a very similar style to Max Domi or former Maple Leaf Michael Bunting, as someone who can get under their opponents’ skin and stir the pot. Known for playing down the middle, Cousins can also play on the wing, which could help establish a very mentally difficult line to play against if he were to play alongside Reaves and Kampf on the team’s fourth line.
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As mentioned above, Cousins can contribute offensively, although last season was a down year with only 15 points in 69 games with the Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers. During the 2022–23 season, he had the best statistical season of his career, tallying nine goals and 18 assists for 27 points in 79 games. If he could match that or even come close to that on the fourth line for the Maple Leafs, it could be considered a good pickup. Again, with it being a PTO, they wouldn’t sign him to a contract, only a tryout. Technically, Treliving could add all three of these players on a PTO and only sign one of them. It all depends on how they perform during camp and the team’s cap situation. Given that Cousins is still looking for a home, and based on his reputation, he would likely be willing to take less to play for a playoff contender.
James van Riemsdyk
Lastly, a trip down memory lane, the Maple Leafs should reunite with James van Riemsdyk (JVR). This PTO/signing makes a ton of sense on so many levels. They need help on the power play; JVR is a great net-front presence. They need a second third-line player who can contribute to the secondary scoring; he can do that. They also need cheap contracts; it’s looking like it’ll be a cheap contract at this point in the offseason. An added plus is that he is used to the market, the pressure, and the city from his six years with the organization, during which he was one of the top players on the team. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, the only downfall would be if Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten make the team out of camp, then van Riemsdyk could be used in the wrong role, and it would become a waste of a signing. But that is the point of a PTO; if the team sees that happening, they can cut him, and if he plays well in camp, he could earn himself a new contract elsewhere.
van Riemsdyk, 35, played on the Bruins’ team that eliminated the Maple Leafs in the playoffs last season and did fairly well. In 71 games, he scored 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points while playing only 13:30 per game. This is a bona fide bottom-six forward who can help with secondary scoring, which is something that the organization has struggled with. They get a ton of production from the top-six and very little from the bottom of the lineup.
If Maple Leafs fans remember, van Riemsdyk played with Auston Matthews, William Nylander, and Marner in their first year in the NHL when they went to the playoffs but lost to the Washington Capitals. Obviously, those three have changed, as well as the entire makeup of the roster, but it does help to have players come to the team who are familiar with the superstars on the team. van Riemsdyk played for just $1 million last season with the Bruins; there is a good chance he would sign for the same AAV, if not a bit lower, if the Maple Leafs are interested.
PTOs are one of the best ways to see what value a player can bring to an organization and how they can fit within the lineup without needing to offer them a contract. The Maple Leafs have utilized these in the past; that is the reason Zach Aston-Reese joined the team in 2022. Going forward, Treliving should look at PTOs and how they can provide his lineup with good secondary scoring options while paying lower AAVs.
