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One Maple Leafs Hopeful Unsure of Contract After a Solid Training Camp in Toronto

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Dean Chaudhry
October 6, 2024 (9:26)

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Steven Lorentz unsure of contract status following PTO with Maple Leafs

Photo credit: Dan Hamilton - USA Today Sports

With the pre-season having come to a close for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Steven Lorentz is hoping he did enough to earn a contract after signing on a PTO.

Alongside Max Pacioretty, Lorentz joined the Maple Leafs in the late stages of the off-season on a professional tryout contract. With the former expected to sign a contract later today, the latter remains without one with the pre-season schedule having come to a close and the regular season starting in just a few days.

In his final game of the exhibition slate, Lorentz was able to get the Leafs on the board midway through the first period before finishing the game with 2 hits, 1 blocked shot, and 13:04 TOI, which is a lot of ice time for a 4th liner. It was his first point in 4 contests, but he averaged close to 15 minutes a night and played relatively well in his bottom-6 role.

Asked about his current contract situation with the Maple Leafs, Lorentz believes he did the best he could during training camp and the pre-season slate and that it's now in the control of the front office:

"We'll see (about a contract). That's out of my control. I did my part. I'm happy with the way I played. It's a deep team and they have a lot of hard decisions to make. That's a good sign when you have an organization that has that much depth."

He finished off the night explaining what scoring that goal meant to him, considering he grew up as a fan of the Maple Leafs, hailing from nearby Kitchener, Ontario:

"I blacked out a little bit there. Just knowing that things have come full circle, to come into this rink as a kid and watching as a young guy, and then being able to do that and put my arms over my head, it was a pretty special feeling."

Nevertheless, it could still bring about some good news for the veteran forward as Frank Seravalli from the Daily Faceoff mentioned a few days ago that he believes the Maple Leafs would be signing him to a new contract, alongside Pacioretty.

If so, the 28-year-old, would bring about 230 games of regular season experience, an additional 32 games in the post-season, and he played in 16 games during the Florida Panthers' most recent Stanley Cup run. He was a useful piece for Florida in the post-season, and would be a useful piece for the Leafs if and when that time of the year arrives.

Previously on MapleLeafsDaily

Highlight Reel Play by Auston Matthews and John Tavares Turns Heads in Toronto

Leafs Winger Nick Robertson Reacts to the News that He's Made the Opening Night Roster

Leafs Head Coach Craig Berube Admits to Embarassing Blunder Involving Max Domi

POLL
1 HOUR AGO \| 186 ANSWERS One Maple Leafs Hopeful Unsure of Contract After a Solid Training Camp in Toronto Do you think the Maple Leafs should bring Steven Lorentz into the fold for the 2024-25 season?
▢ Yes, he's a solid bottom-6 role player
▢ No, there's too many mouths to feed as is
▢ Only if you move on from Kampf, Jarnkrok or Reaves