Although the
Toronto Maple Leafs have nearly finalized their roster ahead of training camp, there will be plenty of opportunities ahead of training camp. Toronto will have to manage 50 professional contracts, and while it could be an uphill battle for players on the fringes of the NHL, the club has found value off professional tryout options (PTO) in recent years.
Steven Lorentz
Lorentz joined the Maple Leafs in September 2024, coming off a Stanley Cup victory with the Florida Panthers, where he was deployed in a fourth-line role. Although Lorentz boasted championship pedigree, he was still somewhat of an unknown quantity, aside from the fact that he skates well for his size. Lorentz immediately became a fan favourite at training camp, and his perpetually positive outlook has allowed him to become one of the most well-liked players on the team, ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
“I’m not a guy who’s just going to jump on the first offer and the most amount of money,”
Lorentz said via Sportsnet’s Luke Fox in September 2024. “I want to be in the right spot, a team that I believe is going to do well. I thought for a few years now that my game could kind of suit well in this system, especially with the top-level talent in the top lines. I thought I could come in and use my size and my speed and carve out an identity in the bottom six.”
Lorentz carved out a role on the Maple Leafs’ fourth line, posting eight goals and 19 points in 80 games during the 2024-25 campaign, before adding two assists in 13 playoff contests. Although the Maple Leafs struggled throughout the 2025-26 season, undergoing a 30-point decline, Lorentz was a constant on the fourth line with seven goals and 18 points in 71 games, but the team posted a minus-six goal differential when he was on the ice at 5-on-5 via Natural Stat Trick.
The veteran forward will have to fight for his place in the lineup, as the Maple Leafs
completely revamped their bottom-six with a real emphasis on speed. Lorentz often reminds the media that he grew up as a Maple Leafs fan, and his tenacious playing style, along with his infectious personality allowed him to secure a spot with the team from a PTO, and is now entering his third year with the club.
Max Pacioretty
“At this stage in my career, I have a lot to prove right now and this certainly adds a little bit more motivation. I think I’ve always kind of thrived under the spotlight and the pressure and every day it pushes you to prepare to be the best you can be,” Pacioretty said during the first on-ice session at training camp in
September 2024.
“This is the hardest group I’ve ever been a part of. I saw it from day one,” Pacioretty said. “Those top guys, it’s not a fluke why they’re the top guys. They put in the work. They take care of themselves. I saw it within two minutes of being here, but you see it every day, every morning, and it’s really nice to be around.”
Pacioretty was an effective contributor across three lines when healthy, but injuries limited him to 37 regular season contests, where he recorded five goals and 13 points. The veteran forward saved his best for last, rounding into form during the playoffs, where he scored the game-winning goal in Game 6 of the first round against the Ottawa Senators. Pacioretty was one of the Maple Leafs’ most effective forwards during the Florida Panthers, but the team was pummelled in Game 7, effectively ending the Mitch Marner Era. After the season, Pacioretty elected to retire, and
joined the University of Michigan’s men’s hockey staff.
Zach Aston-Reese
Zach Aston-Reese signed a PTO with the Maple Leafs in September 2022, and promptly signed a one-year deal in October. He proved to be a useful defensive specialist, while adding 10 goals and 14 points in 77 games. Although he had some real utility with the Maple Leafs, Toronto did not elect to renew his contract and Aston-Reese joined the Detroit Red Wings. You could argue that Aston-Reese’s stint with the Maple Leafs reinvigorated his career, and the 32-year-old is fighting for a roster spot with the upstart Philadelphia Flyers this fall.
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