Fraser Minten has been the story of Leafs training camp, and it’s starting to look like he could remain a focal point when the regular season gets underway.
When asked about Minten following Saturday’s preseason finale in Detroit, head coach Sheldon Keefe seemed hopeful that the Leafs would be able to find a way to keep their 2022 second-rounder on the roster to begin the regular season.
Keefe on Fraser Minten:
“If there’s no roster limitations or anything like that, salary cap, I think there’s no question that he’d remain here & we’d give him an opportunity to get some regular season time”
Coach notes it’s not an easy decision, complex situation for Leafs
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 8, 2023
After the Leafs traded Sam Lafferty to Vancouver on Sunday, that road appears to have been cleared.
Lafferty is a useful bottom-six forward who brings speed and physicality, and the Leafs surely would have liked to hang onto him as a depth piece, but shipping out his $1.15 million cap hit solves both of the issues Keefe cited when asked about Minten making the opening night roster.
Not only is there another open spot on the roster, but the Leafs will now have the flexibility to carry an extra skater, even after presumably signing camp invite Noah Gregor (who just so happens to provide a lot of the same elements as Lafferty) for around league minimum. That flexibility could be key in the final decision to keep Minten on the roster, as carrying an extra forward would allow the Leafs to have Minten remain with the club without having to run him out there every single night as he gets acclimated to life in the NHL, but his play has certainly warranted a spot in the lineup.
Coming into camp, the 19-year-old Minten wasn’t even a consideration to make the roster. The hope was that he would have a strong camp before heading back to Kamloops to be a go-to guy for the Blazers and earn a spot on Canada’s World Junior team, but he continued to stack up strong performances in the preseason and earn the praise of the Leafs’ bench boss.
Sheldon Keefe on the pro-ready traits that stand out in Fraser Minten: pic.twitter.com/VE13JDC26S
— Joshua Kloke (@joshuakloke) October 1, 2023
Minten hasn’t necessarily wowed with flashy offensive plays, but his refined two-way game has been on display throughout the preseason. He hasn’t looked overwhelmed defensively at any point and has helped to drive play with intelligent tracking and relentless effort on the forecheck. He and fellow top prospect Matthew Knies, in particular, seemed to develop some chemistry as the exhibition schedule wore on, routinely frustrating opposing defenders with their tenacity and puck pursuit.
Matthew Knies scores off the wraparound
the kids are killing it pic.twitter.com/nkaSWqpl3A
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) September 30, 2023
Managing expectations is important for any young player, never mind one who was drafted in the second round a little over a year ago, but the outlook for the Leafs’ forward group changes significantly if Minten is actually able to give them solid minutes down the middle when the real games get going this week. It would keep William Nylander on the wing where he can ride shotgun alongside either Auston Matthews or John Tavares and ensure they aren’t relying on David Kämpf to provide more than he can handle.
Whether or not Minten is capable of filling that role right now is one thing, but the Leafs also have to consider what is best for his long-term development. He had a strong season in the WHL in 2022-23 but was more of a complementary piece on a stacked Kamloops team that loaded up for a run at the Memorial Cup and was expected to play a much more prominent role for the Blazers this season.
Is it more beneficial for Minten to learn on the fly and take his lumps at the NHL level with a team that is clearly in win-now mode, or would he be better served going back to Kamloops, where he would likely serve as the team’s captain and first line centre?
Ultimately, it will probably come down to whether Minten can continue to contribute against real NHL lineups when the games start to matter, and it appears he has earned the opportunity to show the Leafs that he can do just that.
Matthew Knies scores shorthanded
The steal from Minten gets it going pic.twitter.com/qxMLqJaX49
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) September 30, 2023
Nikita Grebyonkin hat trick alert
The Maple Leafs prospect scored 3 goals in a 6-3 win against Salavat Yulaev Ufa today, the first hat trick of his KHL career.
Totals (KHL): 15 GP, 6 G, 9 PTS, 12:34 ATOI, +6 pic.twitter.com/ARg9A4W6kt
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) October 6, 2023
Here are some highlights from Akhtyamov's game today. #LeafsForever https://t.co/QDgCkl4sPd pic.twitter.com/5NmPPtTkVB
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) October 8, 2023
#LeafsForever prospect Brandon Lisowsky skates into one and wires it home for his second of the game to give the Blades the lead pic.twitter.com/K8crfSmOPo
— Nick Richard (@_NickRichard) October 5, 2023
Looking forward to seeing more of this! #LeafsForever prospect Hudson Malinoski scores his first NCAA goal, and it is a vintage curl and drag snipe on the powerplay.pic.twitter.com/pgLgnz8sGX
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) October 8, 2023
#LeafsForever prospect Veeti Miettinen ties the game 4-4 late in the third period, a powerplay snipe. It's his 3rd PP point of the game. He's been strong for St Cloud in this game. Best I've seen of him since his freshman year: 3 points, 9 shots on goal, 20(!!!) shot attempts. pic.twitter.com/bknmnJnfh3
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) October 8, 2023
Statistics from EliteProspects.com
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