With the draft over, and the RFA cull finished as well, we have a thinner depth chart at the bottom end, and bigger pipeline list, mostly at the top end. Let’s just get to it, and have a look:
Maple Leafs Depth Chart June 25
| C | LW | RW | D - L | D - R | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Tavares | Andreas Johnsson | Mitch Marner | Morgan Rielly | Nikita Zaitsev | Frederik Andersen |
| Auston Matthews | Zach Hyman | William Nylander | Jake Muzzin | Justin Holl | Garret Sparks |
| Nazem Kadri | Ilya Mikheyev | Kasperi Kapanen | Travis Dermott | Timothy Liljegren | Kasimir Kaskisuo |
| Frederik Gauthier | Trevor Moore | Connor Brown | Calle Rosen | Jesper Lindgren | Joseph Woll |
| Nic Petan | Mason Marchment | Jeremy Bracco | Andreas Borgman | Mac Hollowell | Ian Scott |
| Adam Brooks | Michael Carcone | Egor Korshkov | Rasmus Sandin | Joe Duszak | - |
| Pierre Engvall | Dmytro Timashov | - | Teemu Kivihalme | - | - |
Maple Leafs Prospect Pipeline as of June 25
| Name | Birthdate | Pos | 2018/2019 Team | 2019/2020 Team | Rights Expire |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dakota Joshua | May 15, 1996 | C | Ohio State, NCAA | August 15, 2019 | |
| Zachary Bouthillier | November 8, 1999 | G | Saint John SeaDogs, QMJHL/Newfoundland Growlers, ECHL | June 1, 2020 | |
| Riley Stotts | January 5, 2000 | C | Calgary Hitmen, WHL | June 1, 2020 | |
| Filip Kral | October 20, 1999 | D | Spokane Chiefs, WHL | June 1, 2020 | |
| Mikhail Abramov | March 26, 2001 | C | Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL | Victoriaville Tigres, QMJHL | June 1, 2021 |
| Nick Robertson | September 11, 2001 | LW | Peterboroough Petes, OHL | Peterboroough Petes, OHL | June 1, 2021 |
| J.D. Greenway | April 27, 1998 | D | Dubuque Fighting Saints, USHL | University of Maine, NCAA | August 15, 2021 |
| Pontus Holmberg | March 9, 1999 | LW/C | Växjö HC, SHL | Växjö HC, SHL | June 1, 2022 |
| Ryan O'Connell | April 25, 1999 | D | Ohio State, NCAA | Ohio State, NCAA | August 15, 2022 |
| Mikko Kokkonen | January 18, 2001 | D | Jukurit, Liiga | Jukurit, Liiga | June 1, 2023 |
| Kalle Loponen | March 13, 2001 | D | Hermes, Mestis and Kärpät, U20 | Kärpät, Liiga, U20 | June 1, 2023 |
| Nick Abruzzese | June 4, 1999 | F | Chicago Steel, USHL | Harvard, NCAA | August 15, 2023 |
| Mike Koster | April 13, 2001 | D | Chaska High, USHS-Min, Tri-City Storm, USHL | Univ. of Minnesota, NCAA | August 15, 2024 |
| Martins Dzierkals | April 4, 1997 | LW | Dinamo Riga, KHL/Liepaja, Latvia | Indefinite | |
| Eemeli Räsänen | April 6, 1999 | D | Jokerit, Khl/PTO with Marlies | Jokerit, KHL | Indefinite |
| Vladimir Bobylev | April 18, 1997 | C | Toros Neftekamsk, VHL | Toros Neftekamsk, VHL | Indefinite |
| Nikolai Chebykin | August 1, 1997 | LW | Toros Neftekamsk, VHL | Salavat Yulaev, KHL | Indefinite |
| Vladislav Kara | April 20, 1998 | C/W | Ak Bars KHL/Bars Kazan VHL | Ak Bars KHL/Bars Kazan VHL | Indefinite |
| Semyon Kizimov | January 19, 2000 | RW | Lada Togliatti, VHL | Lada Togliatti, VHL | Indefinite |
| Semyon Der-Arguchintsev | September 15, 2000 | C | Peterboroough Petes, OHL | Peterboroough Petes, OHL | NHL Contract - still junior eligible |
The rights expiry dates are all from Cap Friendly, and they do indeed have Mikhail Abramov listed as a two-year CHL-style rights player. It’s sometimes difficult to nail down status of European players in the junior leagues, but unless he was loaned to the team, that date is correct.
One interesting thing, which might just be an accident of who the Leafs found to draft, is that they only added two players on two-year rights. With a lot of NCAA players, and Europeans, they don’t need to rush decisions.
As far as the depth chart goes, it’s clear the Marlies roster needs a massive infusion of talent. That can come from either NHL or AHL contracts. The Leafs have 36 SPCs accounted for next year, with Der-Arguchintsev likely to come back off the list when he goes back to junior hockey. With four RFAs to sign, that makes 39. They have all sorts of room to add contracts, and certainly don’t need to be worrying about using NHL contracts for Marlies players where needed. They aren’t likely to use 11 SPC slots in the coming weeks.
It’s possible, perhaps likely, that the Leafs will sign Nick Robertson right away, but other than that, there’s no one left coming out of school or junior hockey to add right now.
