"The additions of Matias Maccelli and Dakota Joshua have seemingly precluded Robertson from earning a spot in the Leafs' middle six. But then again, there's a chance the one spot may open up. For instance, Robertson could outplay Bobby McMann for a bottom-six spot. Similarly, veterans like Calle Jarnkrok and Steven Lorentz aren't precisely carved in stone. So, there's a chance that Robertson could wow the pants off Craig Berube"
"The bottom pair projects to be Simon Benoit and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Thrun, 24, is younger than Benoit, and 10 years Ekman-Larsson's junior. As such, there's a shot that Thrun impresses and pushes someone like Benoit for sixth spot. It's unlikely that Thrun can unseat Ekman-Larsson. But it wouldn't be hard to imagine that a motivated Thrun could take advantage of a subpar camp by Ekman-Larsson."
The Maple Leafs head into training camp with several open roster spots despite most lineup positions being settled. Nick Robertson remains a long-shot who could earn a bottom-six role by outplaying other candidates or surprising coaches in camp. Henry Thrun, acquired in the Ryan Reaves trade, projects as the leading candidate for the seventh defenseman role and could push into the top six if he impresses, especially given his youth relative to Simon Benoit and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Michael Pezzetta signed a two-year deal and could compete for a physical bottom-six spot. Injuries would accelerate opportunities for these dark-horse candidates.
Read at Editor In Leaf
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