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Surprising training camp revelation likely to make the Maple Leafs lineup on opening night

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Julien Trekker
October 4, 2024  (3:37 PM)
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Steven Lorentz in action with the Toronto Maple Leafs during a preseason game against the Montreal Canadiens.
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images

According to Sportsnet's Luke Fox, the veteran Steven Lorentz is likely to make the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup on opening night after signing a PTO this summer.

The Maple Leafs have only one preseason game remaining on the schedule before the start of the regular season. On October 9th, the Leafs will be in Montreal to face the Canadiens. The team still has a few decisions to make concerning their lineup, and one will also need to be made about the players who are with the team on a professional tryout: Steven Lorentz and Max Pacioretty.

While it seems to be only a formality before Max Pacioretty's PTO becomes a standard player contract, there are still some questions surrounding Lorentz.

The 28-year-old Ontario native center won the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers last season and chose to sign a PTO with the Leafs despite multiple offers on the table.

In a recent paper on Sportsnet, Luke Fox stated Lorentz will likely make the cut and start the season with the Leafs.

According to him, despite suffering from an injury earlier in the training camp, he should be in uniform for the season opener, likely on the fourth line with David Kampf.

He also noted that general manager Brad Treliving has targeted his PTOs in the past, as we saw with Noah Gregor last year, as well as Lorentz and Pacioretty this year.

On his part, Lorentz believes he has what it takes to help the Maple Leafs achieve their goals:

"It's not always about taking the best players, but taking the right players. To build a winning team, seeing what I saw last year, it's guys that bring what they do best, and it's not trying to go and do too much. You know, I'm not going to go out there and try to score 50 goals this year. We got guys on the roster that can do stuff like that."

"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."

"Just watching this team over the years, it's frustrating seeing the potential they have, and then it just seems like they come up short. Which is unfortunate, because there's a little kid in me that still wants them to do well and hoist that Cup, right? So, it was a no-brainer when I came down here at the end of summer and did a little walk through the facilities."


Last season, Lorentz took part in 38 games with the Panthers and scored three points, including one goal. During the playoffs, he tallied two goals and one assist in 16 games.

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4 OCTOBRE   |   147 ANSWERS
Surprising training camp revelation likely to make the Maple Leafs lineup on opening night

Do you think Steven Lorentz will spend the full season with the Toronto Maple Leafs?

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