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Timing a trade, Benning as a wildcard, and best shape of my life SZN: Leaflets
© Terrence Lee-Imagn Images

There are actual events on the NHL calendar (albeit a promo tour in Europe) and with September creeping up on us next weekend the long stretch of nothing to talk about on the NHL front is coming to an end. There will be glimpses of the Upper Deck Young Guns photo shoot happening soon, the number of camp invites will increase, and by late next week we could even start hearing talks of a captain’s skate.

If you value the downtime from hockey (you probably don’t if you are reading about the Leafs in August), my condolences, the all consuming marathon of a season is about to start anew. If you have been waiting to discuss your ideal Maple Leafs lines casually at work, good news. Pretty soon you won’t come off like a crazy person.

Here are my crazy person thoughts:

When to trade the excess Leafs

There are too many cooks in the kitchen and that is pretty clear even before considering the Leafs should be doing everything in their power to give Easton Cowan a fair run at the Leafs lineup this fall.

The current version of the Leafs would see Michael Pezzetta as well as Easton Cowan in the AHL to start the year, along with capable depth callups like Travis Boyd, Benoit-Olivier Groulx, and Vinni Lettieri. In practice this would also likely see Nick Robertson, Calle Jarnkrok, and David Kampf all rotating through the 12th forward spot in the lineup before injuries factor into the roster.

On defence the Leafs will have Henry Thrun and Philippe Myers competing for the 7th defenceman spot on the Leafs lineup and you can clearly see where the Leafs might want to keep them both at the risk of losing one of Robertson, Jarnkrok, or Kampf as an extra forward. The 7D model would see a decent defenceman demoted to the AHL where Matt Benning is already trying to make a case for breaking out, and where Dakota Mermis and Marshall Rifai have established themselves as trustworthy depth. William Villeneuve should also take a run at spot duty with the Leafs this season and it will be interesting to see how much of a case he makes for himself.

From a pure curiosity about what the Leafs have perspective, waiting until after training camp to move on from the potential excess in the system makes sense. Craig Berube will know who he wants to use, Brad Treliving will know the extent of the depth he trusts on the Marlies, and the injury picture will be a lot more clear. At the same time other teams might have learned areas that they want to address and the Leafs will have a surplus of skaters at every position.

In contrast, the Leafs will not be dealing for a position of strength. There is going to be a risk of players getting plucked off waivers and of the potential AHL bound players it seems that the Leafs could potentially see at least one get claimed. There isn’t going to be some glorious return and the market could also be thin as the Leafs aren’t exactly moving higher up the lineup card options and there could be a preference towards sticking with the players that have at least been working in their organization’s system throughout training camp.

The value for the Leaf might be to commit to moving on from some of their excess when teams can give their players a full look. Players like Calle Jarnkrok who showed value on Scott Laughton’s wing during the post season might be viewed favourably. If the Leafs are still listening on Nick Robertson, the sooner the better for closing that deal makes sense as well. And most teams would rather work with a defenceman than hope to figure it out on the fly. There might be some value in Brad Treliving being active in the next three weeks.

As for what the Leafs should be looking for in return, the bar should be set low. Toronto needs to be thinking about futures and the deadline at this point rather than banking on one more roster overhauling trade. Freeing up cap and roster space and learning about where they are at in the post Marner world should be the priority.

Matt Benning wanting to prove something at camp

It’s probably not much of a surprise that Matt Benning would prefer to be in the NHL than the AHL. The reality is that last season he was losing his spot on the Sharks and with San Jose not willing to give him ice time the opportunities on the Leafs were going to be even more limited. The complete disappearance of Jani Hakanpaa, and the long term injury to Dakota Mermis wasn’t enough to move Benning up the depth chart on the Leafs and with the blueline being even more crowded now with the addition of Henry Thrun (one of the Sharks who beat Benning out for ice time last season) it is a tall order to say that Benning is going to find a place on the Leafs.

That said, more competition is always a good thing and there is a benefit to veteran making a big push. The ability of Simon Benoit and Philippe Myers to be consistent hasn’t been established, and there might be a legitimate desire to have Thrun start the years with the Marlies to reboot him after things going sideways with the Sharks. Benning could be a camp longshot and if he fits Berube’s system in what would be his first real look with his potential NHL coach, a case could be made.

In reality, the best case scenario is that Benning has a hell of a preseason and turns some heads as a potential waivers claim or far more likely AHL trade after clearing waivers. There are a lot of organizations where Benning can push for a spot in the 7-9 range on the defensive depth chart and see some time in the NHL, but it isn’t likely to be Toronto.

“Best shape of my life”

Finally, a plea. As players return to Toronto for goal tournaments, captain’s skates, etc. there are going to be a lot of microphones pushed in their face and variations of “I’m in the best shape of my life” are about to be spewed. Everyone has their favourite hockey cliche quote and perhaps this is mine.

While I can appreciate that exciting new diets, workout regimens, and on ice drills have players excited about what they could accomplish this season, several grains of salt will be required for taking any of this seriously.

Of course if Auston Matthews says he’s feeling the healthiest he’s been in years a little excitement is warranted.

This article first appeared on TheLeafsnation and was syndicated with permission.

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