I’ve had to remind myself when trying to place Steven Lorentz into the Maple Leafs lineup that he was never supposed to fit in. The Panthers utilize Lorentz as a thirteenth forward and he was a strong fit for them in that role. That’s who the Leafs want him to be and after a strong performance as a fourth liner in the playoffs, it seemed like taking a look at Lorentz in the preseason made some sense for Toronto. Whether or not this is a good idea or not remains to be seen, but I think that’s the case for Lorentz being at camp.
While Lorentz is not an exciting player and one not likely to dazzle Toronto audiences with a newly unearthed upside, he is something slightly different than what the Leafs presently have in their bottom six and addresses a few needs. Lorentz brings more speed than someone like Reaves, he brings the potential for additional centre depth, and if the Leafs can shed some salary (Jarnkrok, Kampf, or Reaves), Lorentz offers a cheaper option. There is also the fact that Lorentz as a potential 13th forward means that a younger player like Nick Robertson wouldn’t be living in the press box every night and the Leafs can focus on giving younger players ice time with the Marlies than having them as NHL depth picking up 8 minutes a night on the fourth line or sitting in the press box. Lorentz getting eight minutes a night or sitting for prolonged stretches isn’t out of the ordinary, as he only played in 38 regular season games for the Panthers last season.
None of that is an exciting case for Lorentz, who was also a penalty killer for some of his time in San Jose, but it is likely why Lorentz is here and the fact that he has a Stanley Cup ring and players who have one are often motivated to get another is a selling point too, I guess.
The thing is, Lorentz hasn’t exactly been a training camp standout, and there have been a lot more compelling players for the Leafs at training camp. An extended look at Easton Cowan is an easy thing to point to, seeing if Jacob Quillan can be a depth centre with upside as another interesting option for Toronto to consider, and players like Alex Steeves are deserving an NHL test run and he’s past the age where concern over playing time and healthy scratches factor into the discussion as well. It’s also hard to make a case for Steven Lorentz on an NHL deal and having Alex Nylander on an AHL deal, but the fact that they are two very different types of players might quell some of that outrage.
The thing with Lorentz or any other forward in his situation is that after not seeing a ton of icetime in the regular season and being a career fourth liner, bringing him in to maintain that performance seems like the Leafs passing up on ways to improve their roster or establish depth and instead check a box for bringing in the typical depth player with size. And while the Leafs certainly don’t have another 6’4 alternative behind Lorentz on the depth chart, putting him onto the Leafs at this point is premature and there is greater value in Lorentz as a Marlies option, if he’ll go for it.
With Lorentz being at the Leafs training camp on a professional tryout there is likely already an acknowledgment that his NHL options are limited and while a pro tryout with the Leafs might have held more interest than say a league minimum contract with the Flames or Blackhawks, Lorentz had to be considering that after a 38 game season the potential for being a full time NHLer is slipping away. As such the Leafs signing Lorentz to get him to the Marlies either on a standard player contract and hoping he can sneak through waivers or outright signing him to an AHL deal with the potential for an NHL deal to follow at the right time might be more of the targeted plan for Lorentz.
The Leafs brought in Dylan Gambrell last season in a similar capacity, and while Gambrell didn’t find his way to the NHL last year, it doesn’t mean that the same fate would befall Steven Lorentz. After all, Lorentz is much taller.
The thing is, the Leafs know what Steven Lorentz is and that is a pretty decent 13th forward/4th liner who can step in at centre and on the penalty kill. The Leafs have a lot of other things they are trying to figure out and that includes Easton Cowan’s situation and where Connor Dewar slots in when he’s healthy enough to return. There also needs to be some salary removed from the roster to allow for Max Pacioretty and Jani Hakanpaa. Through that salary shedding, it might also become apparent that there is absolutely a role for Steven Lorentz and having him ready to go will be a good thing, but for right now, Lorentz looks like an okay player that no one is rushing to put in a Leafs regular season game.
