Insider Delivers Interesting Report on Pacioretty, Lorentz and the Maple Leafs
NHL insider Frank Serevalli shared some interesting Maple Leafs news on Sportsnet The FAN 590 radio show on Friday.
With 3 pre-season games down, and 3 remaining, the Maple Leafs are officially half-way done their pre-season, which means that we'll soon see the roster in Toronto trimmed down to size. Many are wondering what will come of PTO invitees Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz. According to Seravalli, the outcome for these two players may already be pre-determined.
During his appearance on Sportsnet radio, Seravalli affirmed that the Toronto Maple Leafs plan to sign not just one, but both of the forwards they have on PTOs in Pacioretty and Lorentz.
Last year, the Leafs experienced some injuries early on, and this sounds like an attempt to avoid that problem this year with as much depth as possible. In order to fit under the cap, however, at least one of David Kampf, Calle Jarnkork, Ryan Reaves or Conor Timmins will have to go -- especially if Brad Treliving is signing both players. Thus far, the early favourite to move appears to be Jarnkrok.
It's looked like signing Max Pacioretty was always a given and had been a part of the plan since he signed his PTO. A cheap gamble by a team that needs scoring and a hungry, goal-scoring veteran with something to prove just seems like a good fit.
The real surprise here is Lorentz. What started out as someone looking like a coin flip has now become somewhat of a shoo-in. He shows real potential at being a good fit on the fourth line. His teammates and head coach Craig Berube seem to love him as well.
He is a really reliable player. Smart. Great energy. Again, he is a big guy who skates well," Berube said during Thursday night's post-game interview.
Expect both Max Pacioretty and Steven Lorentz to sign NHL contracts as we get closer to the end of camp and the start of the regular season. Meanwhile, general manager Brad Treliving has some trades to make.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 28 | 1607 ANSWERS Insider Delivers Interesting Report on Pacioretty, Lorentz and the Maple Leafs Are you excited about the Pacioretty and Lorentz additions? | ||
| Yes | 826 | 51.4 % |
| No | 353 | 22 % |
| It depends who they trade to make the cap work | 428 | 26.6 % |
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