What Steven Lorentz brings to the Maple Leafs besides his Stanley Cup ring

When I was trying to place Steven Lorentz on the Maple Leafs roster, I had to remind myself that he should never fit in. The Panthers use Lorentz as their thirteenth forward and he would be a great fit for them in that role. That’s who the Leafs want him to be, and after a strong fourth-place showing in the playoffs, it seemed logical for Toronto to take a look at Lorentz in the preseason. Whether or not this is a good idea remains to be seen, but I think Lorentz is in camp.

While Lorentz isn’t an exciting player and isn’t likely to surprise the Toronto crowd with an emerging upside, he is something a little different than what the Leafs currently have in the bottom six and fills a few needs. Lorentz brings more speed than someone like Reaves, brings additional center depth potential, and if the Leafs can drop his salary a bit (Jarnkrok, Kampf, or Reaves), Lorentz presents a cheaper option. Additionally, Lorentz being a potential 13th forward means a younger player like Nick Robertson won’t be living in the press box every night, and the Leafs can focus on getting young players ice time with the Marlies rather than the NHL. The depth huddles on the fourth line for 8 minutes each night or sits in the press box. It’s not unusual for Lorentz, who played in just 38 regular season games for the Panthers last season, to get eight minutes a night or sit for extended periods of time.

None of this is exciting for Lorentz, who was a penalty killer for part of his time in San Jose, but that’s probably why Lorentz is here and he has a Stanley Cup ring and players with that ring are likely to be here frequently . Being motivated to buy another one is also a selling point, I guess.

The thing is, Lorentz wasn’t exactly a standout player in training camp, and there were much more interesting players in training camp for the Leafs. A comprehensive look at Easton Cowan is something easy to point to to see if Jacob Quillan could be a good depth center as another interesting option for Toronto to consider, and players like Alex Steeves deserve an NHL test drive and are over-age . Concerns about playing time and healthy scratches also factor into the debate. It’s also hard to argue that Steven Lorentz has an NHL deal and Alex Nylander has an AHL deal, but the fact that the two are very different types of players might quell some of that anger.

The problem with Lorentz, or any forward in his stature, is that he didn’t see much ice during the regular season, and bringing him in to keep up that performance after his fourth-straight game in his career seems like the Leafs have given up on ways to improve their roster. or specify the depth and check a box to bring up the typical depth player with size instead. And while the Leafs certainly don’t have another 6’4 alternative behind Lorentz on the depth chart, putting him on the Leafs at this point is premature, and Lorentz has greater value as a Marlies option if he chooses to do so. .

With Lorentz already in Leafs training camp for a professional tryout, presumably granted his NHL options are limited, and a pro tryout with the Leafs may have attracted more interest than a league-minimum contract with the Flames or Blackhawks, Lorentz is a full-time player after a 38-game season. We had to take into account that his potential to be an NHL player was gone. So the Leafs are signing Lorentz to either take him to the Marlies on a standard player contract, hoping he can sneak through waivers, or sign him outright to an AHL deal, with the potential for an NHL deal to follow at the right time. Targeted plan for Lorentz.

The Leafs hired Dylan Gambrell in a similar capacity last season, and while Gambrell didn’t find his way to the NHL last year, that doesn’t mean the same fate will befall Steven Lorentz. After all, Lorentz is much taller.

The thing is, the Leafs know what Steven Lorentz is, and he’s a pretty good 13th forward/4th who can step in at center and in the shootout. actor. There are a lot of other things the Leafs are trying to figure out, including the Easton Cowan situation and where Connor Dewar will slot in once he’s healthy enough to return. In addition, the salaries of Max Pacioretty and Jani Hakanpaa need to be reduced in order to be removed from the squad. It may be a good thing that there’s definitely a role for Steven Lorentz thanks to this pay cut and he’s ready to go, but for now Lorentz looks like a good player and no one is rushing to sign him. Leafs’ regular season game.