Remember how last offseason we stocked up on Shore and Agostino and Gravel etc and it was clear most of them would just be AHL call-ups?
What?s confusing for some is that we are hearing a lot of NHL names come in (that sort of suck in some way) but can?t quite fathom that a lot of them also call-up depth depending on how training camp shakes out. Of the bottom 6/pair options, only Simmonds, Engvall, and Kerfoot impact the cap after an AHL loan.
The cap crunch actually helped push more talent down the pay ladder and the Leafs are taking advantage because they can do one-way deals all day; some players even got a firsthand look at the AHL level facilities here (if there is an AHL season at all). It will be a compressed season either way and having a lot of hungry subs goes a long way to keeping the team competitive and ready for potential injuries.