Maple Leafs News & Rumours: Chayka, Blankenburg, Lorentz & Final Depth Choice

Sometimes a moment during the Toronto Maple Leafs’ training camp tells us more than the transaction itself. Toronto putting Steven Lorentz on waivers Thursday was one of those moments. On the surface, it looks like another routine roster move as the club works toward its Opening Night lineup. But there appears to be a little more going on beneath the surface.

The Maple Leafs are trying to get down to the roster John Chayka wants, and that means some players from the previous administration may find themselves on the outside looking in. Lorentz is one of those players. At the same time, another player seems to be moving closer to a job in Toronto. Nick Blankenburg has made enough of an impression during his PTO that the Maple Leafs appear to be finding a way to get him under contract.

Steven Lorentz Is Now on Waivers

Lorentz isn’t being waived because he suddenly became a bad hockey player. The 30-year-old has given Toronto exactly the sort of fourth-line work the club has asked from him. He’s a gritty player who can kill penalties, compete along the boards and provide some reliability at the bottom of the lineup.

The timing is interesting, though. On Thursday, Toronto returned Tinus-Luc Koblar to Sweden, and because his entry-level contract is slide-eligible, that move created a contract slot. That means the Maple Leafs now have the flexibility to sign Nick Blankenburg.

So Lorentz’s placement on waivers shouldn’t be viewed simply as a way to make room for Blankenburg. The contract spot is already available. Instead, the move looks more like another decision in the process of shaping a roster that is increasingly beginning to look like John Chayka’s team.

Nick Blankenburg Fits What John Chayka Is Building

Blankenburg has become one of the more interesting stories of this training camp because his potential arrival says something about the type of player Chayka appears to be looking for. The former Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche and Nashville Predators defenseman isn’t coming in with the reputation of a major acquisition. He’s a depth player trying to earn an NHL job.

But that’s precisely what makes the situation interesting. Blankenburg has impressed enough during his PTO that Toronto seems prepared to find him a place. With the contract slot now available, the question isn’t necessarily whether the Maple Leafs can sign him. It is whether the organization believes he fits the team it wants to become.

That’s where Lorentz comes in. If another team claims him, Toronto loses a useful fourth-line player and gains roster flexibility. If he clears, the Maple Leafs have another decision to make about the bottom of their lineup. Either way, the bigger story is the same: Chayka is deciding which players fit the next version of the Maple Leafs.

What’s Next for the Maple Leafs?

The Lorentz situation could therefore be less about one fourth-line forward and more about the final pieces of Chayka’s first roster. The new GM inherited a team built under a different philosophy, and he’s been making changes throughout the summer. Waiving Lorentz doesn’t erase the previous administration, but it does show that the new group is willing to make difficult decisions about familiar players.

Now the attention turns to Blankenburg and the remaining roster spots. If Lorentz is claimed, Toronto loses a useful fourth-line player and gains some roster flexibility. If he isn’t, the Maple Leafs have another decision to make about the bottom of their lineup. Either way, Blankenburg looks increasingly likely to get his chance.

And that may be the bigger story here. Toronto isn’t simply trying to find 23 players who can survive training camp. Chayka is putting together a team with different ideas about how it wants to play. Sometimes those changes arrive with a big trade or a major signing. Sometimes they arrive with a veteran fourth-line player going on waivers and an under-the-radar defenseman moving closer to an NHL job.