Leafs depth chart

By Brodi Craddock
With training camp still several weeks away and the Leafs opening night roster all but set in stone, Leaf fans await in bewildered anticipation the game of musical chairs that has come to be known as a depth chart. While there are some plausible projections out there that generally indicate the organization's best players based on position, this years pre-season depth chart is sure to be written in pencil.

First off I think that although Connolly is slated as the number one pivot, there is an internal audition for that role that will likely see Matthew Lombardi spending some time on the 1st line when he's healthy. Both would make great 3rd line centres, which is why the situation down the middle is looking better than it has in years. Although it was originally thought that Lupul would accompany Kessel on the top line, there's still a chance Kulemin's solid all-around game is needed to balance a top line that lacks a real power forward. This works out nicely for the second line as well since Lupul's natural scoring ability can be showcased playing with creative players like Grabovski and MacArthur. This group of players is easily the best top six Toronto has had in years and what will make these two lines tough to defend against is that the skill level is so evenly spread to the point that I don't see either line being defined as the undisputed first unit.

Some people forget how often the Leafs blue line has been remodeled over the last two seasons and this year is no exception to the trend. Only Luke Schenn and Mike Komisarek remain from the blue line that started the season just two years ago. The shakeup continues with the addition of John-Michael Liles and Cody Franson, two surefire bets to crack the opening night roster but the question is: Who's the odd man out? I have been advocating for well over a year now that Mike Komisarek should be swapped in a salary dump trade. I think he's a good guy and still has a lot of hockey left in him as a 5th or 6th defenseman, but signing in Toronto turned out to be a disastrous career move that has pretty much made us all forget how effective of a player he was in Montreal. If Burke can't trade him and chooses not to send him to the AHL, the other option is to split the games between Komisarek and Gunnarsson, an undesirable arrangement seeing as both are capable of handling full-time NHL duties and Komisarek makes $4.5 million a year. It will be very interesting to see what happens in training camp with players like Lashoff, Holzer and Gardiner all nearly ripe enough for the NHL.

Finally, there is a general understanding that James Reimer will be the number one goaltender heading into training camp. This is probably true, but I can tell you that Jonas Gustavsson will be given every chance to steal that job. Turn the clocks back to last year when we all thought J.S Giguere would be the number one until about midway through the season at which point Gustavsson would be ready to assume his role as the number one guy. That didn't pan out as expected and Reimer's future isn't written in ink either. If you didn't watch Gustavsson play last season it would be easy to criticize him but if you saw those games he struggled in during that November dry spell you would know that he's not entirely to blame for his poor stats. If he can manage to regain his confidence I think he's every bit as qualified to backstop this team as Reimer.

Tim Brent surprised everyone at last years camp by clawing his way up the depth chart surpassing the likes of Christian Hanson and John Mitchell to earn his spot as a regular with the big club. With many of the Leafs prospects maturing into quality players and several roster spots still vacant, who will be this years Tim Brent?

Follow me on twitter for insight and analysis
@brodicraddock