Toronto Maple Leafs' Forward Dilemma: Should They Stay or Should They Go?

With a career high of 27 points (last year), Mayers knows his role and knows it well. Players like Stajan and Kulemin could learn a lot from him.

Moore, meanwhile, turned a lot of heads with his smart, heads-up play after being plucked off waivers at midseason. He showed a bit of offensive skill too, posting 14 points in 38 games.

Moore is a steady checking centre who could play the third line if Toronto didn't have so many centres, but will likely find himself centering the fourth unit.

Fighting for jobs

Mark Bell, Boyd Devereaux, Ryan Hollweg, Alexei Ponikarovsky

It's strange to see Poni fighting for a roster spot after spending some time on the top line the past couple of years, but he simply hasn't improved to the point where he deserves a top-six spot. And with the abundance of youngsters and grinders in the Leafs' forward corps, he may be squeezed out of the bottom six too.

It's not a question of whether Ponikarovsky can make the team in a fourth-line role; that shouldn't be a problem. The question is whether it's worth it for the Leafs to have him play seven or eight minutes a game.

He'd fetch the highest return of all the excess forwards (probably a third rounder), and at $2.24 million, he also makes the most money. And playing him on the fourth line takes away a roster spot from a young player like Robbie Earl or Jeremy Williams.

Bell's time in prison will be finished by the time camp rolls around, but he wasn't exactly impressive last season, other than his hits on Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher in Game 81. He's likely to spend a lot of time in the press box to make way for a younger player, since it's hard to see anyone wanting him at $2 million per season.

Devereaux, meanwhile, has a decent chance at sticking on the fourth line because of his speed and grit. He's a very good energy player who can score the odd goal as well. He's found chemistry with Steen and Stajan in the past—but unless he blows management away at training camp, he's not likely to play higher than the fourth line.

Hollweg was brought in to tick off opposing players and to act as a partial enforcer. I say partial because he's not a very good fighter. He'll split his time between playing four minutes a game and sitting in the press box. He'll likely dress for about 50 games.

Marlies with a very small window of opportunity

Robbie Earl, John Mitchell, Jeremy Williams

You've gotta feel for these young players. They've patiently awaited their chance to play on the big club for years, getting the odd call-up here and there—but always getting stuck in the numbers game.

Now that the parent club is rebuilding, they'll get their shot, right? Wrong, apparently.

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