Maple Leafs facing major roster issue if a certain player plays tonight

Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe will have to make some roster decisions ahead of tonight's game, one of which will be on the blueline, depending on the status of Timothy Liljegren. The other roster decision is up front and surrounds Pontus Holmberg.

If Holmberg plays tonight, it will be his 70th NHL game and that means that he would lose his waiver eligibility, leaving the Leafs with just Nicholas Robertson and Matthew Knies as the only two roster players that would not have to clear waivers to be sent to the AHL. The way Holmberg has been playing, though, it would be difficult to have him sit out simply to keep his waiver eligibility.

The easiest way to avoid having to deal with this down the road would be to simply trade someone to ensure that Holmberg has a roster spot available and will not need to worry about being sent down. The other option is simply to demote Holmberg today and call him back up before the playoffs begin, or beforehand if an injury strikes.

In 32 games this season with the Leafs, Holmberg has 11 points, but has been very good defensively and has quickly become a staple in the bottom-six over Noah Gregor. With Calle Jarnkrok due back at some point in the next week, it will be up to GM Brad Treliving to figure out how to manipulate the roster until the trade deadline when rosters expand.