A month ago if you asked me to write about Maple Leafs training camp battles I think there would have been a lot more Alex Steeves content, potentially some talk about whether or not Nick Abruzzese could pull it all together in September, and potentially spark some debate over whether Cade Webber, Mikko Kokkonen, or Marshall Rifai could make a case for leapfrogging up the Maple Leafs depth chart. Perhaps even discussion about whether Philippe Myers can start the year as the 7D or Alex Nylander can earn a contract.

The Leafs have added a lot in that bubble zone of the roster in the past few weeks with Jani Hakanpaa officially signed, Nick Robertson signed, Max Pacioretty all but signed, and Steven Lorentz coming in on a PTO. Throw in Easton Cowan who is in an all-or-nothing situation about making the Leafs or returning to junior and the Maple Leafs haven’t left much room to talk about promotions from the Marlies, it seems that players like David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok, Conor Timmins, Connor Dewar, Ryan Reaves, and Simon Benoit along with Pontus Holmberg and Conor Timmins are in a situation where they will be fighting to save their NHL jobs.

As much as I’d love to see Marlies front and centre in the competition for bigger roles as the potential for upside and surplus contract value is there, it’s hard to find fault in the approach that Brad Treliving is taking here and giving his new coach as many options as possible to pick from to build his ideal roster seems like it will set Craig Berube up for success.

What a Craig Berube lineup will look like will be a fascinating thing to see develop this week. The reality of the St. Louis Blues roster for the past couple of training camps was that there would be more opportunities for younger players and yet Berube heavily favoured veteran-laden lineup cards. With a learning curve being required throughout the Leafs lineup to adjust to the new coach’s way of doing things, it seems likely that Berube and Treliving will steer themselves in the direction of veterans over creating opportunities for players like Cowan, Minten, and Niemela.

Where things will get interesting in camp are with the players that don’t have multiple seasons in the NHL to fall back on and might not have the security of incumbency to make a roster spot “theirs to lose.” Simon Benoit, Bobby McMann, Pontus Holmberg, Conor Timmins, Connor Dewar, Nick Robertson, and even Timothy Liljegren might find themselves feeling much more on the bubble than how they left things last season. The pressure remains on them to put themselves ahead of players like Pacioretty or prove that they are cost-effective alternatives to players like Reaves, Kampf, and Jarnkrok.

The blueline might benefit from a head start as Jani Hakanpaa is still a work in progress.

When it comes to forwards it is worth noting that Craig Berube did opt to bring Jake Neighbours in to develop him at 19 and give him his 9-game NHL tryout. Given that Easton Cowan is in a similar situation and like Neighbours is a versatile option, he might stand the best chance of at least getting an extended look.

Players like Steeves, Abruzzese, Rifai, Timmins, Mermis, and Myers represent the group that would love to be competing for a spot on the Leafs roster and are not waivers exempt. While Myers and Timmins might be hard to accept losing to waivers, others like Steeves, Abruzzese, and Rifai don’t have the body of work that other teams would be likely to leap at the opportunity to claim them. Other players like Cade Webber, Nikita Grebenkin, and Topi Niemela might show well in camp and leave the Leafs’ front office wanting to see more of them at the NHL level, but their waivers exempt status makes for a hard case to start them on the Leafs’ roster when Treliving can manage assets and strengthen organizational depth.

It is premature to say with any confidence what direction the Leafs will go. There has only been one training camp in the Treliving era so far and this is the first of the Berube era. It does seem likely that Lorentz and Pacioretty are here because Treliving intends for them to be Leafs, and Allan Walsh has gone so far as to say he expects that Pacioretty will be a Leaf, but until the contract is registered there is still a chance the Leafs go in a different direction.

While a youth movement and giving chances to players that have been developing in the system would certainly have merit, the addition of veterans doesn’t completely eliminate that, only postpones it a little. The optics of a youth movement out of training camp on a team that views themselves as a cup contender aren’t as great as those young players claiming jobs over the course of a season during their callups. And while everything was on the table for the Leafs this offseason, there seems to be a reluctance to hold the door open for prospects just yet, despite the average age of the Leafs roster screaming out for an eventual youth movement.