It’s time to play musical chairs with the roster. The organist is playing an arena classic and when she stops, whoever isn’t at least in the pressbox is getting on the bus to the AHL, if they aren’t exempt and do pass waivers first.
Most of the chairs are already taken. I’ve filled in the lineup with my estimations of who is already on this team, and yes, Zach Hyman really is on the roster. The pressbox has three players in it who are definitely not going anywhere, but they might not have a regular roster spot yet.
That leaves four question marks and nine players I’ve chosen as realistic options. Some of these are obviously outside chances, but some are tough choices. You might see others that I assume are obvious cuts as roster material, and you can fill them in on your own roster. Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen seem definite Marlies to me.
Don’t forget that Nikita Soshnikov has already been marked out as starting the season on the Marlies, and some of the players currently on the roster are not even on NHL contracts.
Forwards
??? - Nazem Kadri - Leo Komarov
James van Riemsdyk - Tyler Bozak - ???
Zach Hyman - Auston Matthews - William Nylander
Matt Martin - Brooks Laich - ???
Defenders
Jake Gardiner - ???
Martin Marincin - Morgan Rielly
Matt Hunwick - Nikita Zaitsev
Goalies
Frederik Andersen
Jhonas Enroth
Pressbox
Roman Polak - Milan Michalek - Mitch Marner
Options
LW
Colin Greening
Josh Leivo
Kerby Rychel
C
Frederik Gauthier
Byron Froese
RW
Connor Brown
Peter Holland
RD
Connor Carrick
Frank Corrado
Who would you put where? Forget about goalie choices because it’s obvious and just take the skaters. You can only have 21 of them.
I’m keeping Connor Carrick, Connor Brown and Peter Holland. For now. But as soon as Nikita Soshnikov is better, I want him on that fourth line. And as far as Josh Leivo and Frank Corrado go, if they don’t sneak through waivers, that’s life.
Copy and paste the list into comments if you like, move them around, show us your 23-man roster. No cheating and trading someone, though.
Who is left over when the music stops?
Edited to take out some players who were cut today.
