How many rookies make the Leafs next year?

[Leafsbeast*]

I see:

1-Nylander 100%

2-Leivo should make the jump

3-If we win the lottery and pick Mathews. Potential rookie of the year.

Everyone else:

Marner - had a decent camp last year but likely headed to the Marlies for the season.

Timashov - Had an outstanding camp last year and could have made it.

Kapanen - crapshoot but likely another season with the Marlies

Brown - If he can get back to form could make it, but likely another year of Marlies.

Nielson looking like a steal and a future top 2 stud. We got lucky on this pick.

Of all those players not making it, I think Kapanen could be the dark horse and could make a serious run at a spot, simply because he seems to have raised his game and is playing desperate hockey. Amazing work ethic and extremely fast and skilled. Silk hands. Likely better hands than Nylander and Marner.


Who are your picks to make the Leafs next season?

List a top 3.
List the ones you think are close.
List your dark horse.

Click to read more...

 

[AvroArrow]

Nylander easily
Leivo
Percy

I feel like Brown, Kapanen, Timashov are all extremely close at this point

Darkhorse = Leipsic

 

[Le Cobra]

1 Nylander
2 Marner
3 Timashov

close Sparks

DH - Kapanen

 

[Persuasion]

I don't think Marner is allowed to play in the AHL next season. He would be 19 so it would be Leafs or Knights. Unless the Knights give up is rights....

 

[eddieO]

I don't think Marner is allowed to play in the AHL next season. He would be 19 so it would be Leafs or Knights. Unless the Knights give up is rights....

I think it's Knights, Europe or Leafs?

 

[hotpaws]

I don't think Marner is allowed to play in the AHL next season. He would be 19 so it would be Leafs or Knights. Unless the Knights give up is rights....

Marner either plays with the Leafs or in Jr, there's no such option for a Jr team giving up a players rights so he can play in the AHL.

 

[tooncesmeow]

Brown, Marner, Nylander, Leipsic, Soshnikov I could all see making team next year.

Then again, I also think Leafs will re-sign Grabner.

 

[traffic cone]

Matthews, Laine, Puljujärvi and Chychrun could all be potentially in the NHL next year.

 

[Duckrider]

i'm not going to guess on who we draft but I'd say Nylander and TIMASHOV out of camp with Brown coming partway through the season

 

[Terrible GM]

I would not be surprised to see 4 to 6 rookies.

Nylander, Marner, Soshnikov, Harrington, 2016 1st rounder (if its a top 3) if I were to pick my the closest to making it.

Depending on play and weight next year: Brown, Kapanen, Loov. Soshnikov. Soshnikov needs to bring it every night, but between him and Loov they have been very fun to watch with the marlies.

 

[SprDaVE]

Those 5 to me are locks to me, or 95% locks. 4 of them have NHL experience, so it's not like they are completely green.

Nylander
Leivo
Harrington
Percy
Sparks

The following have a good chance, but depends on the off-season and their performance in training camp. I'd put them at a 50% or so chance of making it in some capacity. Not all of them will make it, so the competition will be very heavy. There will probably only be one more spot or two after the locks mentioned above.

Marner (his chances closer to 75%)
Brown
Kapanen
Soshnikov
Hyman
Loov

Super darkhorse players to make it with not much chance of making it next season unless they absolutely dominate in pre-season, and I'm not even sure if that would be enough:

Johnson
Gauthier
Leipsic
Bibeau
Dermott
Valiev
Bailey


It's hard not to see a lot of rookies next season but the Leafs will find a way not to rush or put young players in a position where they might not be ready to play in. I'm sure the Leafs will probably sign a player or two to make sure they have depth for that reason. I do expect a good amount of young players however.

What I see the Leafs doing is making another quantity trade (a la Grabner). I have a feeling a player like Percy will be traded in the near future but for now, all we can do is talk about what we have.

 

[Banic]

Truthfully I can see 1 of Percy and Harrington traded (likely Percy) and the other up, as they won't want to keep such a young d core. Then ideally Nylander, Leivo and Sparks. I can't pick 1 darkhorse because there's 4-5 who could very well steal a spot.

 

[tmlfan98]

1) Nylander
2) Zaitsev
3) Marner

I can also see Sparks, Leivo, Leipsic, and Soshnikov all making the team.

And if we get one of Matthews/Puljujarvi/Laine they'll probably make it out of camp as well.

 

[BlueBaron]

Nylander
Gauthier (just a hunch)
Percy (its getting to be do or die time)
Marner (his inability to go to the Marlies + could be our number one RW, not impossible he ends back in the OHL but I doubt he has much left to learn there, maybe lending him to European team could make sense ? )

Sparks (if we lose Riemer)

 

[pheasant]

I think Kapanen is a lot closer than some seem to be suggesting. His season started with the flu, missing games and then trying to get up to speed in games. Then he hurt his back, and missed more time. But he has been great recently, even before the golden goal. This guy can make the team.

Dark horse: Jeremy Morrin.

 

[Leafidelity]

Nylander
Marner
Brown
Zaitsev
Harrington

 

[613Leafer]

Nylander, Leivo, Marner, Harrington, and Percy I think will be on the team. 5 rookies... Sounds like a lot. But Im hoping Leivo, Harrington, Percy, and maybe Nylander can each get ~30+ games this season after selling off some NHLers, making them sophmores instead of rookies.

After that, Soshnikov, Hyman, Loov, and our 2016 1st if it's Matthews would have the best shots. But I cant imagine having that many rookies/sophmores, so we'll see what happens.

Guys like Timashov, Gauthier, Kapanen, Dermott, Brown, Leipsic, Bracco, etc I think could use another year (or more), preferably at the AHL level for all those that are eligible. I think it also gives them a chance to be leaders on the team with Nylander gone, which we've seen for example from Soshnikov and Leipsic over the past few weeks.

 

[WilliamNylander]

Locks: Nylander, Marner, Leivo (unless traded), Brown, one of Harrington/Percy (other gets waived). If we draft in the top three, they'll be on the team too.

Outside shot: Andreas Johnson, Brendan Leipsic, Soshnikov

Kapanen isn't making the team next year but the Marlies are going to be his team for a year before he makes the jump. He's still so young that he could be playing in junior right now.

I'm going to guess that by the end of the year we will have had 5-7 rookies play in our lineup at one point or another (with ~4 playing most of the games). The Marlies have so many NHL ready kids (as seen by their outstanding record) so its definitely going to be interesting seeing who impresses in camp.

 

[aarons3005]

Locks: Nylander, Marner, Leivo, Percy, Brown.
HM: Leipsic, Soshnikov
Dark horse: Timashov. Guy looked better than Marner in camp this year

 

[Clark4Ever]

I don't think we should get our hopes up too high given Babcock's track record for letting players marinate in the AHL.

Nylander, Leivo, Harrington, and Percy would be my guess. Maybe a few more after the trade deadline next season.

 

[Clark4Ever]

Within the next 2-3 years though, the team is going to be stacked with graduates from the Marlies, which is very exciting to look forward to...

 

[Anthrax442]

How many D spots will be open next season? 1 for sure from Polak. Phaneuf? Marincin?

 

[I Believe]

4 or 5 rookies wouldn't surprise me at all. Pretty much like what Tampa did 2 years ago.

 

[TheGroceryStick]

Nylander for sure.
Marner is not ready for the NHL, at all. But his situation is weird. Maybe give him the opportunity and some bottom6 mins - send him to the Jrs. like Virtanen and shelter him with good players. Are conditioning stints fine in the AHL? with his contract, get him as much time as you can and send him back to the OHL if you need to. Who cares about burning a year, it should be about development.
--
A grab bag, someone will impress in camp.

 

[thewave]

I don't think Marner is allowed to play in the AHL next season. He would be 19 so it would be Leafs or Knights. Unless the Knights give up is rights....

Well we do know the owners.