Next Man Up: Is Josh Ho-Sang's time coming?
The Toronto Maple Leafs made a splash this off season by signing Josh Ho-Sang to a PTO. The once highly touted Ho-Sang had fallen out of favour on Long Island before a disastrous season in Europe that saw him bounce around the SHL without finding a foothold there.
When the Leafs agreed to give him a shot, Ho-Sang claimed to be a changed, humbled man and promised to take advantage of what was likely his last shot at playing in the NHL. He had a strong enough training camp to earn himself an AHL contract and a roster spot with the Toronto Marlies. His elite vision and playmaking ability have been put to good use with 15 points in 19 AHL games this season.
The Leafs have one chance to bring Ho-Sang up. As soon as he signs an NHL deal and gets called up to the big team he will be waiver eligible, meaning he can't be sent back to the Marlies without being offered to 31 other teams for free.
The Leafs are currently without Mitch Marner (shoulder), John Tavares (COVID), Alex Kerfoot (COVID), Wayne Simmonds (COVID), Jason Spezza (COVID) and Brett Seney (Hand). A player with Ho-Sang's abilities could be extremely useful on Auston Matthews' wing, but will he be able to stick in the lineup when the Leafs finally get their lineup healthy again? Is it worth it to lose a talented player to temporarily plug a hole in the lineup? The Leafs have already lost Adam Brooks and Michael Amadio to waivers this season.
It will be interesting to see what happens if the injury bug bites again or if additional Leafs players are added to the NHL's COVID-19 Protocol List. It may not be long before the team has no other viable option than to give Ho-Sang his shot with the big club.
