PTO invite season: Leaflets

It’s August and as such it feels like 90% of the remaining unrestricted free agents are fair game for talking about them as potential camp invitees.

The Leafs had a lot of success with this approach last season with Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz. Of course, both were invited with contracts ready to go and it was more about navigating the salary cap than anything else. The same is true of Zach Aston Reese, albeit he is more of an example of a contract ready to be signed rather than a roster success story.

The Leafs aren’t in the same situation as previous years. There is plenty of depth already and as of this moment there isn’t any work that needs to go into navigating the salary cap. That said, not taking advantage of pro tryouts would be an oversight. Every game played in the preseason by a camp invite is one less that an actual roster player runs the risk of being injured in. They bring a bit more competition training camps as they are working to prove something not just limber up. And through some creative contract terms, it is possible to create some depth that can start on the Marlies (A $375k bonus that is paid after the day the player clears waivers plus the league minimum $775k could be a deterrent.)

Jack Roslovic, Matt Grzelcyk, and Victor Olofsson are unlikely to be looking at PTOs but everyone else could reach a point where an invite will be the best NHL deal on the table. Here are few the Leafs should consider.

Goaltending

There are few positions with fewer options available than in goal but arguably goaltending can be one of the most important camp invite positions. The Leafs have invited pro tryout goaltenders before and it would be wise to consider it again as neither Anthony Stolarz or Joseph Woll are exactly workhorses and running the risk of half the tandem being hurt in the preseason would be a royal bummer.

On top of that because Stolarz and Woll are unlikely to take all 82 games between them, there is a legitimate NHL role available with the Leafs that goaltenders may consider worth their time while getting the opportunity to likely play as much as they want in the AHL given that Hildeby and Akhtyamov will already be fighting for time in net.

Like I said though, options are limited. The Leafs have no reason to be nostalgic for Ilya Samsonov or James Reimer and both would be poorly received compared to a mystery box. Alexandar Georgiev is probably the most alluring mystery box as he isn’t far removed from some status quo level goaltending and Chris Driedger was in a Stolarz situation in Florida at one time as well and carried some appeal before injuries set him back. Dylan Ferguson and Evan Cormier are blasts from the past when it comes to PTO/ATO deals in Toronto, but a veteran like Troy Grosenick, Louis Domingue, Spencer Martin, or Magnus Hellberg could meet the Leafs needs as well as bring a strong veteran presence to the Marlies.

Ultimately the right choice is the goaltender that Curtis McElhinney, Curtis Sanford, and Hannu Toivanen feel they can work with but the one option I wouldn’t sleep on is Oliver Rodrigue. Rodrigue was previously with the Oilers, an organization that just let their longtime goaltending coach go. And at 25 years old there might be an opportunity to his career into a fun project.

No matter what, adding a goaltender that the Leafs can push in camp, rely on preseason starts, and potentially count on when the season takes its toll wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Toughness

It seems to be more of a rookie camp phenomenon that seemingly every year Toronto invites a 6’5, 250 lb. tank to come play with their 150 lb. soaking wet prospects, the tank concusses someone, and the Leafs response to this is signing the tank to a deal in the ECHL. It’s ridiculous and I’m not advocating for the Leafs to expand their search for players that will injure their top talent.

On the other hand, having players that can do that in the preseason to the Leafs competition isn’t new to the NHL and the Leafs won’t be able to dress Michael Pezzetta in every game.

Someone like Kevin Rooney has about the same appeal as Brandon Prust, but perhaps the end game can be a bit more like Kyle Clifford or Rich Clune who became valuable veteran presences on the Marlies rather just a guy who came in to be punched during the preseason.

Given the Leafs growing wish for practical toughness, options like Klim Kostin or Jon Merrill might make more sense.

A swing for the fences (or at least potential hit out of the infield)

Players like Andreas Athanasiou and Robby Fabbri look like ways of testing some additional offensive depth or at least adding to the Marlies offensive depth in a similar fashion to what Alex Nylander was last season for the Leafs. And while there is nothing forbidding the Leafs from revisiting Alex Nylander or for that matter Keiffer Bellows, the going with players that had NHL success and saw it dry up seems like more of the traditional option in a pro tryout. Athanasiou might be worth a look but given that Fabbri didn’t have much in the way of success under Craig Berube in their first go together, that doesn’t seem like a likely match.

One worth considering is Kevin Labanc who had a rough last year in San Jose and an equally tough season last year in Columbus. After the experience with the Blue Jackets it seems like it might be easiest to just say he’s done. A PTO would help gauge if that’s true or if he can be every bit as productive in a bottom six role as he was during his better years in San Jose. Though at the very least allow the Leafs have enough personnel for special teams drills and let him showcase what he still has left in as many preseason games as he’s willing to play in.

A lot of what was said about Labanc and Athanasiou could just as easily be said about Jakub Vrana, though ultimately, if he hasn’t been picked up by an NHL club and hasn’t chosen to re-sign again the KHL instead, Evgeni Kutnetsov is perhaps the most intriguing PTO option of them all and has the best chance to deliver on a role beyond just the preseason filler.